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THE 


SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP 

TEN  SUMMERS  UNDER   CANVAS 

BY 

SAMUEL  J.  BARROWS 

AND 

ISABEL  C.  BARROWS 


Two  voices  are  there.  — Wordsworth 

Distinct  as  the  billows,  yet  one  as  the  sea.  —  Montgomery 


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9 

BOSTON  AND  NEW  YORK 

HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN  AND  COMPANY 

(C6e  IHitocrirfi&c  jDrerf^,  C«m6cft0e 

iSSS 

Copyright,  1887, 
Bt  SAMUEL  J.  BABROWS. 

All  rights  reserved. 


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The  Riverside  Press,  Cambridge  .* 
Eleotrotyped  aad  Printed  by  H.  0.  Houghton  &  Co. 


i  f- 


To 

OUR  LITTLE  LASSIE, 

WHO  IN  THESE  TEN  SUMMERS  HAS  SWUNG  IN  THE  HAMMOCK, 

FLOATED  ON  THE  WAVE, 

AND  LEARNED  TO  PADDLE  HER  OWN  CANOE. 


'^ 


67657 


PREFACE. 


The  custom  of  taking  a  summer  rest  is 
becoming  a  fixed  habit  in  American  business 
and  professional  life.  What  to  do  with  this 
annual  period  is  often  a  puzzle.  Many  people 
spend  half  their  vacation  in  finding  out  how 
to  enjoy  the  other  half.  For  the  last  ten 
years  the  Shaybacks  have  found  a  practical 
solution  to  this  question  in  camping  out. 
The  success  of  this  form  of  recreation  de- 
pends largely  in  knowing  how  to  do  it.  The 
writers  offer  no  formal  treatise  on  this  sub- 
ject, but  the  following  transcripts  from  their 
own  experience  will  illustrate  its  various 
methods  and  possibilities.  One  definite  aim 
of  this  book  has  been  to  show  that  this  is  by 


vi  PREFACE. 

no   means  a  distinctly  masculine   recreation, 
but  that  the  ideal  camp  is  the  family  camp. 

Many  of  the  Shayback  sketches  have  ap- 
peared in  the  "  Christian  Register "  and  in 
"  Outing."  These  have  been  revised  or  re- 
written. Other  chapters  are  added  which 
have  not  before  been  in  print. 

Those  who  read  the  chapters  on  "  Camp 
Cooking,"  "  Massawippi,"  and  the  account 
of  camping  in  India  may  naturally  regret 
that  Mrs.  Barrows's  name  is  not  attached  to 
a  larger  number  of  these  sketches.  The  only 
consolation  I  can  offer  is  that  her  own  achieve- 
ments in  camp  life  would  not  have  received 
justice  had  they  been  left  to  the  record  of  her 
modest  pen. 

S.  J.  B. 


CONTENTS. 

♦ 

CBAPTEB  '^** 

I.  GrpsYiNo  IN  Maine 1 

II.  A  Gypsy  Clam-Bake        .        ^       .       .       .  22 

III.  A  Raid  on  Canada 30 

IV.  Memphremagoq 49 

V.  A  Family  Camp 66 

"^VI.  Getting  Settled 82 

VII.  Camp  Occupations 91 

VIII.  The  Camp  Kitchen,  by  Isabel  C.  Barrows      103 
IX.  The  Piquancies  and  Perils  or  a  Steam  Yacht  116 

X.  Nymphic  Navigation 144 

XI.  Spoon  and  Sinker:  the  Science  of  it      .        .  171 
XII.  Spoon  and  Sinker:  the  Poetry  of  it  .        .      204 

XIII.  To  Brome  Lake 220 

XIV.  Massawippi,  by  Isabel  C.  Barrows         .       .      235 
XV.   Our  Log-Cabin 242 

XVI.  Mr.  Shayback  at  Muster 258 

XVII.  Camp  Life  in  Indl4,  by  Isabel  C.  Barrows     .  281 


THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP, 


CHAPTER  I. 

GYPSYING   IN    MAINE. 

If  all  the  items  had  been  put  down  in  the 

way-bill,  they  would  have  run  somewhat  in 

this  wise :  — 

1  gypsy  minister. 
1  gypsy  minister's  wife. 
1  gypsy  maiden,  —  Arline. 
1  gypsy  child,  Pusskin,  a  four-yeaivoldster. 
1  gypsy  chum,  Thomas. 
1  trunk. 
1  valise. 
1  camp-stove. 
1  tiny  kerosene  stove. 
1  wall  tent. 
1  A  tent. 
125  feet  lumber. 
1  box  canned  fruit. 


2  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

1  box  crackers. 

1  box  utensils. 

2  straw  beds. 

10  lbs.  sugar,  loose  in  a  box. 

2  loaves  of  bread  on  top  of  the  sugar. 
1  axe. 

1  saw. 

1  hammer. 

1  gal.  kerosene  oil. 

3  lbs.  nails. 

1  roll  blankets  and  pillows. 
1  lantern. 

1  bundle  waterproofs. 
Various  odds  and  ends. 

At  the  time  we  contemplate  it,  the  whole 
of  the  above-mentioned  outfit  is  loaded  on  a 
hay-rack  for  the  forward  movement  we  are 
about  to  describe.  The  point  of  departure  was 
a  beautiful  white  birch  grove  on  the  banks  oi 
the  Penobscot,  which  our  Methodist  brethren 
had  preempted  for  camp-meeting  purposes. 
Here,  at  the  kind  suggestion  of  Tom,  we  had 
spent  a  pleasant  week  with  this  zealous,  open- 
hearted  tribe  of  Israel,  worshiping  under  the 
same  vine  and  birch-tree,  and  even  singing 
the  "  Gospel  Songs  "  in  the  Methodist  choir. 


GYPSY ING  IN  MAINE.  3 

The  grove  was  thickly  crowded  with  cottages 
and  tents,  the  hitter  consistinc:  for  the  most 
part  of  wooden  frames  covered  witli  cotton 
cloth.  The  Shaybacks  began  by  hiring  one 
of  the  largest  of  these  tents  at  the  reasonable 
rate  of  two  dollars  a  week.  They  had  pre- 
ceded the  regnlar  camp-meeting  by  about  a 
week,  and  had  caught  but  the  auroral  flush  of 
the  dawninsr  excitement.  The  tribe  was  ex- 
pected  in  great  force  after  the  formal  opening. 
Mr.  Shayback,  being  a  minister,  was  de- 
lighted to  be  waked  up  at  half-past  four  in 
the  morning  by  the  loud-voiced  man  in  the 
next  tent,  who  fervently  poured  out  his  spirit 
at  that  hour  before  going  forth  to  fish.  There 
was  an  unconditional  frankness  about  it.  This 
man  had  no  secrets  from  the  Lord ;  none 
from  the  rest  of  the  camp-meeting.  Mrs. 
Shayback,  Avith  slumbering  impiety,  could  not 
share  the  delight  of  her  husband  at  beino; 
roused  so  early  in  the  morning.  Arline  like- 
wise seemed  to  wish  that  the  vociferous  repre- 
sentative of  early  piety  would  pray,  if  pray 
he  must,  like  ancient  Hannah,  who  "  spake  in 


4  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

her  heart ;  only  her  lips  moved,  but  her  voice 
was  not  heard."  There  was  a  moving  quality 
about  this  brother's  prayers.  It  moved  him 
early  in  the  morning;  it  moved  the  Shay- 
backs  also.  It  finally  resulted  in  moving 
them  out  of  the  camp-ground  altogether. 
They  longed  for  more  rest  and  solitude  ;  they 
longed  to  listen  to  some  of  those  secrets  of 
Nature  which  she  will  only  disclose  in  a  pri- 
vate interview. 

Thomas  and  Mr.  Shayback  went  on  an 
exploring  expedition.  They  discovered  a 
beautiful  point  some  four  miles  down  the 
river.  It  was  promptly  decided  to  migrate. 
The  Shaybacks  paid  their  bills,  returned 
thanks  to  Mr.  Calderwood,  the  kindly  su- 
perintendent, hired  a  hay-rack,  and  loaded 
it  with  the  afore-mentioned  passengers  and 
freight.  A  sorrel  horse  was  invited  to  fur- 
nish the  motive  power,  and  Thomas  under- 
took the  responsible  task  of  teamster.  Of 
the  religion  of  that  horse  there  is  great  un- 
certainty. He  either  did  not  believe  in  the 
perseverance  of  the  saints,  or  else  modestly 


GYPSY  I NG  IN  MAINE.  5 

refused  to  consider  himself  of  their  number. 
Keady-to-Halt  is  the  name  which  most  nearly 
corresponded  with  his  character.  His  readi- 
ness in  this  direction  was  sometimes  an  incon- 
venience. Of  the  religion  of  Thomas  I  can 
speak  with  more  certainty  after  having  seen 
him  drive  this  horse.  Thomas  has  since 
maintained  that  the  horse  Avas  maligned. 
He,  however,  did  nothing  to  malign  him. 
A  mule,  according  to  army  notions,  will  not 
pull  unless  his  character  is  blackened  with 
opprobrious  epithets.  Thomas,  however, 
drove  his  horse  by  reins,  not  curses. 

Will  any  of  the  martyrs  of  travel  tell  us 
what  are  the  glories  of  riding  on  a  rail  com- 
pared with  those  of  riding  on  a  rack  ?  The 
*'liay"  on  this  occasion  was  altogether  a  fic- 
tion; the  '-rack"  was  a  positive  and  jubilant 
fact.  Thomas  took  his  seat  in  the  bow,  Mrs. 
Shayback  and  the  four-year-oldster  amid- 
ships. Rev.  Mr.  Shayback  and  Arline  sitting 
in  the  stern.  Thomas  gathered  up  the 
rudder  lines  and  we  rolled  off.  Up  the  slight 
incline  the  sorrel  moved  with  much  delibera- 


6  THE  SlI AY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

tion  until  we  struck  ii  level  stretch  of  road, 
when  our  pilot  called  for  nu)re  steam  and  the 
sorrel  swung  into  a  brisk  trot.  What  an 
unreportaule  exhilaration,  especially  on  the 
"hind  end"  of  the  rack!  There  is  no  place 
wdiere  you  can  get  so  much  motion  out  of 
the  same  amount  of  ride,  especially  if  you 
.discard  all  enervating  cushions  and  ride  on 
the  top  of  a  box  of  loose  habits.  When  you 
first  start  you  are  conscious  of  sitting  on 
the  box.  But  this  consciousness  gradually 
leaves  you  as  the  vibration  rises  from  your 
feet  and  ascends  in  a  continuous  ac^ue  throuo'h 
every  bone  in  your  body.  You  are  no  longer 
riding  on  a  box,  you  are  riding  on  a  tremor. 
You  are  insulated  from  head  to  foot  in  an 
ecstatic  thrill.  Suddenly  the  hind  wheels 
strike  a  rock  or  drop  into  a  hole.  You  fly 
into  the  air.  When  you  come  down  you  feel 
perfectly  certain  that  the  box  is  under  you, 
and  that  it  succeeded  in  getting  down  first. 
If  the  ancient  martyrs  had  only  been  put  on 
a  rack  of  this  kind  instead  of  those  then  in 
use,  they  might  have  ridden  to  heaven  with- 


GYPSYING  IN  MAINE.  7 

out  jarring  anybody's  feelings  but  their  own. 
"How  invigorating  this  is,"  thought  Mr. 
Shayback,  as  he  bobbed  up  and  down  on  the 
box  wdth  uncertain  rhythm.  "  I  don't  be- 
heve,  though,  that  I  should  make  a  very  good 
battering  ram.  A  man  needs  an  iron  consti- 
tution to  make  a  good  hammer.  One  ouirht 
to  wear  his  winter  clotlies  and  have  his  bones 
well  sheathed  in  fat  to  do  justice  to  the  end 
of  a  hay-rack." 

A  cry  of  distress  from  Arline  sent  a  thrill 
through  every  nerve. 

"  Stop  !  stop  !  The  sugar  !  the  sugar  !  '* 
Thomas  brought  old  sorrel  close  up  to  the 
wind,  threw  out  his  anchor,  seized  a  spoon, 
and  sprang  to  the  rescue.  The  box  contain- 
ing ten  pounds  of  sugar  (at  thirteen  cents 
a  pound)  had  tumbled  through  the  rack. 
There  was  a  beautiful  white  wake  of  suirar 
in  the  middle  of  the  road,  and  close  by  lay 
the  mangled  remains  of  a  loaf  of  bread, — 
not  much  mangled,  either,  for  the  wheel  had 
gone  through  it  lengthwise,  and  cut  it  in  two 
as  clean  almost  as  if  it  had  been  done  with  a 


8  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

knife.  It  was  a  melamcholy  sight,  but  we 
gathered  the  fragments  and  spooned  up  the 
dust  with  care  (not  more  than  one  spoonful 
of  sand  to  two  of  sugar),  and  Thomas,  who 
knows  some  of  the  secrets  of  the  grocery 
business,  declared  we  had  made  money  by 
the  operation.  When  we  started  again, 
Arline  thought  there  was  a  little  too  much 
staccato  at  the  extreme  end  of  the  wagon,  and 
moved  forward  to  seek  a  smoother  legato, 

"  Port  your  helm,  Tom  ;  port,  my  boy ;  " 
and  Thomas  pulled  out  just  in  time  to  avoid 
a  three-foot  precipice  at  the  edge  of  the  road. 
The  old  sorrel  did  not  seem  to  mind  the  rud- 
der very  well.  He  Avas  too  fond  of  tacking, 
even  when  he  had  a  free  wind. 

Presently  we  came  to  the  foot  of  a  high 
and  exceedingly  steep  bluff.  Its  angle  Avas 
absolutely  painful,  and  its  great  height  dis- 
couraging to  all  aspiration.  Ready-to-Halt 
seemed  to  lose  heart  when  he  looked  at  it. 
Job,  in  his  masterly  description  of  the  horse, 
speaks  of  his  swallowing  the  ground.  He 
did  not  refer  to  this  horse,  for  Ready-to-Halt 


GYPSYING  IN  MAINE.  9 

seemed  to  have  no  appetite  for  this  hill  what- 
ever ;  anil  though  the  load  was  far  from 
heavy,  it  did  seem  a  big  hill  for  one  horse  to 
swallow.  Just  at  the  foot  of  the  slope  was  a 
little  house.  A  blind  man  here  had  gained 
local  repute  by  his  skill  in  telling  fortunes. 
Arline,  though  metaphorically  a  gypsy  her- 
self, was  very  desirous  of  testing  his  pro- 
phetic power,  and,  with  Mrs.  Shay  back,  pro- 
posed to  do  it  as  the  load  went  up  the  hill. 
The  fortune-teller  would  have  had  plenty  of 
time  to  spin  his  fables  had  he  waited  for  the 
accomplishment  of  this  lofty  intent.  But 
Ready-to-Halt  did  not  propose  to  go  up  there 
without  all  the  help  that  he  could  get.  He 
took  a  little  bite  of  the  slope  and  then  stopped 
to  digest  it.  Mr.  Shayback  shouted  for  the 
ladies.  They  came  quickly  to  the  rescue, 
and  the  fortune-teller  w^as  robbed  of  his  gain. 
A  man  sitting  listlessly  in  his  doorway  proph- 
esied that  we  could  "  never  get  up  the 
hill."  This  was  a  cheerful  assurance  to 
begin  with.  What  should  v/e  do?  If  just 
then  we  could  have  borrowed  a  half  mile  of 


10  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

Hoosac  Tunnel !  But  the  biggest  tunnel  we 
had  was  a  three-inch  stovepipe.  It  would 
cost  us  a  million  dollars  to  cut  a  road  through 
that  hill,  and  there  was  no  time  to  spare.  It 
would  have  taken  us  four  miles  out  of  our 
way  to  go  round.  So  we  chose  the  hill  itself. 
No,  toe  did  not  choose  it;  the  choice  was 
Hobson's.  Happily  the  ladies  had  on  their 
neat,  pretty  gymnastic  suits,  with  skirts  drop- 
ping to  the  top  of  their  boots.  They  did  not 
have  to  bind  their  hands  in  holding  up  their 
dresses. 

"  Now,  Arline,  take  a  stone  and  be  ready  to 
block  the  wheel  when  R.  T.  Halt  comes  to  a 
stop ;  and,  Mrs.  Shayback,  take  another,  and 
meanwhile  push  all  you  can." 

Ready-to-Halt  makes  a  start.  We  put  all 
our  strength  into  the  wheel ;  up  we  go,  about 
thirty  feet,  when  the  horse  suddenly  halts, 
and  the  whole  load  comes  upon  our  shoulders, 
and  horse,  too,  for  that  matter,  as  he  leans 
comfortably  back  upon  the  rack.  The  wagon 
begins  to  back.  It  is  a  precarious  moment. 
If   it  once  gets  under  way,  no  one  knows 


GYPSY  I NG  IN  MAINE.  H 

what  will  become  of  the  load.  Just  in  the 
nick  of  time  the  women  cleverly  throw  the 
stones  under  the  wheels,  and  we  breathe 
freer. 

The  listless  man  at  the  foot  of  the  hill 
shouts,  "  You  can  never  get  up  that  hill !  " 

We  begin  to  think  there  is  some  truth  in 
his  statement.  We  also  think  he  would  be 
kinder  if  he  were  to  come  up  and  put  his  shoul- 
der to  the  wheel.  We  give  Ready  a  good  rest, 
and  try  it  again.  Ready  is  not  balky,  but  he 
insists  on  having  plenty  of  blowing  stops,  and 
we  cannot  tell  just  when  he  thinks  one  neces- 
sary till  he  halts,  and  that  is  generally  at  the 
Avrong  place.  We  have  no  whip,  but  Mr. 
Shayback  shouts  at  the  top  of  his  lungs  in 
a  manner  to  frighten  the  beast  out  of  his 
wits,  if  he  were  a  horse  of  any  tenderness  of 
hearing.  How  we  toil  and  sweat !  How 
bravely  the  women  work !  And  the  four- 
year-oldster  bears  it  very  patiently,  too,  trudg- 
ing along  by  the  side  of  the  road.  If  we 
could  only  hitch  up  some  of  that  strong 
camp-meeting  butter  with  the  sorrel,  how 
smartly  they  could  draw  that  load ! 


12  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

We  worked  at  it  over  an  hour.  It  was 
truly  a  Hill  of  Dillieulty,  and  the  orij^inal  hill 
of  that  name  never  tried  the  patience  of 
Christian  more  than  this  tried  ours.  When 
half-way  up  we  came  to  the  most  critical 
point,  a  section  so  steep  that  ascent  seemed 
impossihle.  We  took  a  good  rest.  Then 
summoning  all  the  strength  we  could  com- 
mand, tongue-power,  hand-power,  foot-power, 
we  gained  this  strategic  point. 

As  we  sat  there  panting  by  the  roadside, 
the  horse  the  least  weary  of  the  group,  a  man 
came  up  with  a  yoke  of  oxen  and  stopped  a 
little  distance  behind  our  wagon.  His  atti- 
tude and  bearing  were  mercenary  rather  than 
generous  or  helpful. 

"  A  fine  day,"  said  we. 

"  Fine  day,"  said  he. 

"  Pretty  big  hill  to  climb." 

"  Yes ;  are  you  stuck  ?  " 

*^  Stuck  !  stuck !  "  we  exclaimed,  with  well- 
feigned   surprise,    "  What   made   you   think 

60?" 

"  Well,  a  man  down  there  said  you  were 


GYPSYING  IN  MAINE.  13 

stuck.  He  said  you  never  could  get  up  that 
hill.'* 

What  a  strange  man  !  What  could  have 
put  such  a  notion  in  his  head? 

The  oxen-driver  seemed  very  sorry  that  we 
were  not  stuck.  We  had  a  tough  little  piece 
of  hill  to  climh  yet,  hut  he  did  not  oH'or  to 
help  us.  lie  was  waiting  for  a  hargain,  the 
hest  hargain  he  could  get.  His  team  could 
he  hired  for  a  dollar.  Had  he  offered  to  give 
us  a  lift  we  should  have  been  glad  to  pay  him 
for  his  generosity ;  hut  when  he  insinuated 
that  we  could  not  get  up  without  him,  he 
raised  all  the  pluck  we  had  left.  Arline  was 
especially  indignant.  We  started  up  old 
Iveady ;  the  ladies  took  hold ;  Ave  carried  the 
hill  in  triumph. 

Oh,  glorious  vision  of  heauty !  We  sat  a 
moment  on  the  hard-won  summit  to  enjoy  it. 
Below  us  the  heautiful  Penohscot,  dotted  with 
sails,  cleft  with  wood-crowned  isles,  and  in- 
dented with  lovely  coves.  There  is  Isleshoro, 
parting  the  waters  of  the  hroad  hay,  sprinkled 
here  and  there   with  cottages,   and   covered 


IJ:  THE  SIIAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

with  ofroves.     It   lian^fs  too-ether  by  ^    little 
thread  of  land  in  the  middle,  over  which  the 
tide  niiti-ht  ahnost  wash.     A  dozen  iioetic   lit- 
tie   islands,  with   prosaic  names  (Flat,  High- 
land,  Seventy-iive   Acre,   Hog   Island,    etc.), 
form  the  satellites  in  this  beautiful   archipel- 
ago.    Five  miles  away  Searsport    nestles  on 
the  hillside,  glistening  in  the  sun.       Below  it 
we  catch  a  view  of  Belfast  Bay.     Jus4;  oppo- 
site, Castine  is  marked  by  that  white  light- 
house which  in  the  distance  looks  like  a  little 
salt-cruet.     Oif  to  the  east  lies  Sedgwick,  and 
farther  to  the  south.  Deer  Island.      The  bold 
outlines  of  the  Camden  hills  are  capped  with 
mists  as  they  rise  into  tlie  sky,  which   to  the 
east  bends  down  to  kiss  the  slee})ing  ocean. 
Hill  and  dale,  isle,  cove,  and  peninsula,   the 
peaceful  river,  the  ample  bay,  and  the  ocean- 
breadth    beyond,  all   bathed    in    sunlight   or 
toned  with  shade,  formed   one    of   the  most 
lovely  panoramic  views  we  had  ever  seen. 

"  A  man  must  climb,"  said  Mr.  Shayback, 
"  if  he  is  c^oinij  to  have  a  broad  vieAV  of 
either  moral  or  physical   relations.     It   costs 


GYPSYING  IN  MAINE.  15 

work  to  C'liml) ;  but  it  pays."  I  suspect  that 
Mr.  Sliaybaek  \vill  be  carting'  this  hill  iuto 
one  of  liis  sermons,  or  selliuf^  it  to  the  reli- 
gious press  at  so  much  a  ton. 

We  Avere  on  the  hill ;  how  were  Ave  to  get 
down  ?  No  lock-cluiln,  no  break.  AYe  tried 
to  extemporize  one.  Mr.  Shayback  undertook 
to  hold  the  wheels  with  a  tent-pole.  His  min- 
istry was  not  yery  successful.  It  would  liaye 
been  a  sin  to  break  a  tent-pok'.  If  he  sinned 
at  all  he  determined,  in  the  words  of  the 
Prophet,  to  sin  ^'  with  a  cart-rope."  We  found 
the  cart-rope  in  the  wagon,  and  tied  it  to  the 
back  axle.  IMr.  Shayback  and  the  ladies  took 
hold  and  held  back  with  all  their  strength. 

Ready  was  a  splendid  horse  on  the  bre  ?li- 
inof.  There  is  a  difference  in  horses  as  in 
men.  You  find  horses  that  arc  good  on  the 
breeching  that  are  not  much  on  the  tug,  and 
horses  that  are  jjood  on  the  tui»'  that  are  not 
much  on  the  breeching  ;  just  as  you  find  men 
that  haye  go-ahead  power  but  not  much  stay- 
power,  or  men  that  haye  stay-power  who  have 
no  forAvard   vim.      Ready  av  .s   a  stay-back 


16  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

horse.  As  Tom  said,  "He  went  backward 
pretty  well,  going  forwards."  We  descended 
the  hill  as  slowly  as  a  resiDcctable  funeral, 
presenting,  I  dare  say,  a  very  comical  appear- 
ance, and  remhiding  one  of  the  appendage  to 
Captain  Crosstree  in  Robson's  '^  Black-eyed 
Susan."  Stretclf'jd  out  like  the  tail  of  a  kite, 
grasping  the  knotted  line  till  hands  were  il- 
most  blistered,  Mr.  Shayback,  Mrs.  Shayback, 
and  Arline  lay  back  on  the  rope  till  they  al- 
most touched  the  ground,  and  dis])uted  every 
foot  of  the  way.  Completely  begrimed  with 
dust,  the  coatless  Mr.  Shayback  looked  more 
like  a  deacon  than  a  minister,  if  we  cling 
to  the  old  derivation  of  ^^  deacon "  {hia, 
xovig,  ^^  one  icho  is  dusty  with  riaunng"). 
The  little  four-year-old  trudging  after,  the  fat 
hands  filled  with  asters  and  golden-rod,  was 
the  one  bright  spot  in  the  picture.  When 
Thomas  let  the  sorrel  out,  as  we  reached  the 
bottom,  we  were  jerked  around  in  a  very  lively 
manner,  like  a  fish  on  the  end  of  a  line.  It 
was  very  well  for  him  to  shout,  "  Let  her  run 
now."     It  was  quite  another  thing,  under  the 


GYPSYING  IN  MAINE.  17 

downward    imj^ulse,    to    stoj)    running   our- 
selves. 

We  threw  up  our  hats  Avhen  we  reached 
Captain  Wright's  gate.  The  sun  had  set. 
It  was  too  hite  to  pitch  the  tents.  We  had 
heen  three  hours  and  a  quarter  in  coming  the 
four  miles !  At  this  rate,  Thomas  will  never 
be  elected  to  a  membership  in  the  Society 
for  the  Promotion  of  Cruelty  to  Animals. 
We  thanked  him  for  his  care,  were  sorry  he 
had  to  go  back,  and  besought  him  not  to 
drive  so  fast  on  his  way  home.  Captain 
Wright,  an  old  seaman,  and  his  wdfe  gave  us 
a  cordial  welcome.  We  never  found  a  more 
hospitable  roof,  though  it  is  doubtful  if  they 
had  ever  read  the  story  of  Baucis  and  Phile- 
mon, or  expected  reward  for  their  trouble. 

The  next  morning  the  two  tents  were 
pitched  side  by  side  on  a  beautiful  spot,  which 
was  christened  "  Fern  Point."  As  Thomas 
Avas  obliged  to  remain  at  Northport  with  his 
family,  the  gypsy  camp  was  reduced  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Shayback,  Pusskin,  and  Arline. 
Mr.  Shayback  had  camped  before  for  months 


18  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

on  the  Western  plains ;  Mrs.  Shayback  had 
camped  in  India ;  but  this  was  the  first  at- 
tempt of  the  Shayback  family  to  camp  to- 
gether. As  we  recall  that  first  family  camp 
on  the  banks  of  the  Penobscot  the  party  seems 
small,  the  outfit  meagre,  the  appliances  rude. 
But  the  situation  was  lovely,  the  companion- 
ship delightful,  and  the  rest  and  quietude 
grateful.  When  the  camp  historian  wrote 
his  letter  to  the  "  Christian  Register "  he 
gave  a  pen-and-ink  sketch  of  the  situation 
which  we  like  to  preserve  in  the  vividness  of 
the  present  tense  :  — 

"  And  now  our  tents  are  pitched  on  a  beau- 
tiful, grassy  peninsula,  whose  rocky  feet  are 
washed  by  the  waters  of  the  bay.  The  little 
cove  which  it  shelters  is  frincred  with  woods 
of  spruce  and  cedar.  In  this  cove  we  find  a 
delightful  bathing-place.  Rejiosing  beneath 
its  bed  are  thousands  of  delicious  clams  wait- 
ing for  the  revealing  spade.  In  this  cove, 
Charles,  the  fisherman,  anchors  his  wherry 
and  his  lobster-car.  Charles  is  a  kind,  oblig- 
ing fellow,  who  has  a  trawl  out  in  mid-rivei 


GYPSYING  IN  MAINE.  19 

with  a  line  half  a  mile  long*  and  some  five  hun- 
dred hooks.     Ho   hauls  it  twice  a  day,  and 
brings  \\\)  varying  quantities  of  cod,  haddock, 
hake,  etc.,  sometimes  a  dozen,  sometimes   one 
hundred  and  fifty  at  a  haul.     He  gets  plenty 
of  muckerel  with  his  jig.     We  are  sure  of  a 
good   supply  of  fish.     Indeed,  we   can  take 
our  poles,  and  from  the  rocks  before  our  tent- 
door  can  catch  a  mess  of   cunner  at  almost 
any  time.     Milk  and  eggs  grow  on  our  neigh- 
bor's   farm.     Children  bring  us  blueberries, 
whortleberries,    and    raspberries.     Our    little 
kerosene  stove  is  a  treasure,  especially  on  a 
stormy  day.     It  is  suprising  how  much  that 
stove  can  achieve  under  the  tuition  of  Mrs. 
Shayback    and    Arline,    though    so    small    it 
could  go  under  a  silk  hat.     AYe  have  plenty 
of  drift-wood  on  the  shore  when  we  need  the 
larger  camp  stove.     Our  furniture  is  simple. 
Arline    saw^ed    the     boards,    Mrs.    Shayback 
measured  and  fitted  them,  and  Mr.  Shayback 
nailed    them  down    to    the  joists  to  make  a 
good  floor  for  the  wall-tent.     An  inclosure  of 
boards  in  the  corner  was  filled  with  spruce 


20  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

boughs.  On  this  was  placed  the  fresh  straw 
mattress,  and  the  combination  makes  a  springy, 
fragrant  bed.  Mr.  Shayback  occupies  the  A 
tent,  where  he  sleeps  on  a  rude  bedstead  of  his 
own  manufacture.  Fresh  moss  dotted  with 
violet  leaves  forms  a  beautiful  carpet.  The 
little  one  sleeps  in  a  hammock  suspended  from 
stakes.  Thomas  made  us  a  rough  pine  table, 
and  Mr.  Shayback  has  made  a  knock-kneed 
bench.  In  addition  we  have  several  very 
original  camp-stools,  contrived  from  driftwood 
by  Mrs.  Shayback.  Bits  of  boards  laid 
across  fruit-cans,  two  or  three  stories  high, 
make  an  excellent  cupboard  for  the  shining 
array  of  tin-ware.  In  good  weather  we  cook 
and  eat  out-of-doors,  and  then  we  would  not 
change  dining-rooms  with  any  hotel  in  the 
country.  We  are  half  a  mile  from  the  road  ; 
we  see  no  teams,  we  have  no  dust,  no  inter- 
ruptions. The  river  in  front  is  our  roadway. 
The  steamboats  salute  us  as  they  pass.  In 
the  fogs  voices  from  bewildered  schooners 
sometimes  shout  to  us  to  know  their  way. 
Storm  or   shine,  we   never  lack   for   amuse- 


GYPSYING  IN  MAINE.  21 

ment.  We  have  a  compact  little  library  in 
the  valise.  There  is  a  o-reat  book  all  about 
us,  which,  for  a  reverent  reader,  hath  '  a  voice 
of  gladness,  and  a  smile  and  eloquence  of 
beauty.'  Now  let  the  rain  descend  and  the 
floods  come  and  the  winds  blow  ;  we  shall 
only  lengthen  our  cords  and  strengthen  our 
stakes.  Here  in  this  verdant,  breezy  solitude, 
far  from  the  noise  and  the  bustle  of  the 
world,  Ave  bid  dull  care  away." 


CHAPTER   II. 

A    GYrSY    CLAM-BAKE. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Shayback  was  standing  shoe- 
less on  the  roeks  —  lest,  like  the  wicked,  his 
feet  should  slide  —  inviting,  with  his  fishing- 
pole,  a  few  dinners  to  dine  with  him  at  one 
o'clock.  The  ladies  had  gone  out  to  sail 
with  George  William,  the  young  skipper. 
A  thin  veil  of  foo;  hung'  over  the  river  and 
the  hills.  The  landscape  here  is  of  the  ut- 
most modesty,  and  veils  of  this  material  are 
deemed  indispensable  at  this  season  of  the 
year.  The  sound  of  oars  up  the  river  at- 
tracted the  reverend  angler's  attention.  Tom 
had  not  visited  them  at  Fern  Point  since  the 
eventful  journey  with  the  sorrel  some  days 
before.  He  had  promised  to  come  by  water 
the  next  time.  His  presence  was  daily  hoj^ed 
for.     There  was  a  rent  in  the  curtain  of  fog, 


A   GYPSY   CLAM-BAKE.  23 

and  the  lon^-expected  boat,  still  wrapped  in 
a  haze  of  filmy  blue,  hove  in  si<»ht.  A  ^\'^- 
coming'  war-whoop  rang  over  the  rocks,  and 
was  answered  from  the  boat  and  by  the  tire- 
less echoes  in  the  neighboring^  hills,  always 
on  the  watch  to  mimic  our  voices,  yet  doing- 
it  in  such  a  natural  and  lovable  way  that  we 
could  not  find  fault  with  their  mockery.  The 
boat  soon  landed,  with  Tom,  his  wife,  little 
Carl,  and  a  friend.  The  camp  was  inspected, 
and  pronounced  a  success ;  the  scenery  was 
viewed,  and  extolled  beyond  measure ;  but  it 
was  noticed  that  Tom's  eyes  seemed  to  rest 
with  fondest  admiration  upon  the  shores  of 
our  cove. 

"Clams?" 

"  Yes,  a  splendid  clam-yard." 

"  Mr.  Shayback,"  said  Tom,  with  the  ten- 
derest  emotion,  "  there  is  a  void  within  which 
longs  to  be  filled ;  the  fact  is,  I  am  in  a 
half-starved  condition,  and  nothing  Avill  sat- 
isfy the  unusual  demands  of  my  appetite  but 
about  half  a  bushel  of  those  clams." 

"  Thomas,"  said  Mr.  Shayback,  with  com- 


24:  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

forting  assurance,  "  you  can  draw  on  that 
clam-bank  to  any  amount  you  wish.  Your 
draft  shall  be  honored.  I  will  indorse  your 
check  immediately  with  a  good  spade." 

"  A  clam-bake,  then  it  is  !  " 

We  borrowed  a  spade  and  a  hoe  from 
Captain  Wright.  It  is  easy  to  borrow  when 
you  are  camping,  —  much  easier  to  borrow 
than  it  is  to  return.  This  clam-bank  pos- 
sessed an  unusual  amount  of  deposits,  and, 
as  the  tide  was  low,  we  were  just  in  banking 
hours,  and  found  a  ready  payment.  Mrs. 
Tom  picked  up  and  washed  the  bivalvular 
coin  as  it  issued  from  the  mint. 

"  Poor  creatures  buried  alive  here  under 
the  soil,  liOAV  thankful  they  must  be  to  be 
exhumed  from  their  living  graves  and  com- 
mended to  a  more  honorable  desthiy  !  "  And 
Mr.  Shayback  worked  with  that  excess  of 
zeal  which  many  people  exercise  when  they 
mistake  their  own  pleasure  for  an  act  of 
charity  to  others. 

"  This  is  the  true  symbol  of  missionary 
work,"  thought  Mr.   Shayback ;   "  it   is  the 


A   GYPSY  CLAM-BAKE.  25 

minister's  work  to  raise  people  from  the 
mud ;  "  iuid  he  dug  with  still  greater  enthu- 
siasm. But  when  he  thought  of  the  roast 
which  was  to  follow  he  found  it  more  diffi- 
cult to  reconcile  it  with  his  notions  of  salva- 
tion. However,  he  knew  that  the  roast  was 
but  a  finite  evil,  and  that  the  bivalvular  mar- 
tyrs simply  suffered  translation  to  a  higher 
form  of  existence.  What  better  use  can  be 
made  of  a  clam  or  a  fish  than  to  make  it 
minister,  through  the  great  law  of  sacrifice, 
to  human  development?  Mr.  Shayback  has 
no  sympathy  with  the  wanton  sportsman  who 
destroys  merely  for  the  sake  of  the  destruc- 
tion he  wreaks ;  who  kills  harmless  creatures 
which  neither  he  nor  any  one  else  can  appro- 
priate. It  seems  to  him  only  a  lower  form 
of  murder  when  he  hears  of  men  shooting 
right  and  left  into  a  herd  of  buffalo  simply 
to  see  who  can  make  the  largest  score.  The 
same  is  true  of  superfluous  fishing  simply 
to  get  the  largest  catch.  But  when,  at  the 
suggestion  of  a  hungry  stomach,  the  bullet 
speeds  to  its  mark,  the   hook  establishes  a 


26  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

welcome  communiciition,  —  welcome,  alas  !  at 
but  one  end,  —  or  the  inquisitive  spade  pro- 
saically turns  over  a  few  fat  clams,  the  moral 
conditions  are  altered.  Think  of  the  dignity 
to  which  this  clam  is  elected.  He  leaves  the 
low,  earthy,  brainless  life  which  he  has  led, 
and  by  a  process  of  rational,  human  selec- 
tion leaps  at  one  bound  clear  over  centuries 
of  differentiation  and  myriads  of  intermedi- 
ate forms,  and  incorporates  his  life  with  that 
of  humanity.  His  bland  juices  mingle  with 
the  ascending  chyle,  pulse  through  the  gate- 
ways of  the  heart,  bound  on  the  crimson  tide 
which  bears  fuel  to  bone  and  nerve,  or  burns 
with  intellectual  flame  in  the  thought  fires 
of  the  brain.  Sudden  and  exalted  ascen- 
sion! Instead  of  mounting  the  slow  ladder 
of  evolution,  he  is  Elijah-like  swiftly  trans- 
lated into  a  higher  realm  of  being.  How 
much  better  than  dying  of  stupidity  in  a 
mud  flat ! 

Dame  Shayback,  Arline,  and  little  Pusskin 
soon  returned  from  their  sail  and  assisted  in 
excavating  our  seashore  dinner.     Meanwhile, 


A    GYPSY  CLAM-BAKE.  27 

Tom  had  gathered  some  stones  and  piled 
them  up  into  a  round,  Hat  pile  on  a  conven- 
ient I'oek  near  the  shore,  and  huilt  a  good 
fire  upon  them.  In  thirty  minutes  the  stones 
were  thoroughly  heated.  The  fire  was  then 
put  out,  the  embers  removed,  the  stones 
brushed  perfectly  clean  with  boughs,  and  a 
bushel  of  clams  was  dumj)ed  on  the  hot  stones 
and  completely  covered  with  sea-weed.  How 
they  sizzled  and  steamed,  and,  opening  their 
clammy  mouths,  prophesied  of  good  things  to 
come ! 

Bread  and  butter,  crackers  and  condiments, 
were  brought  down  from  the  tents.  After 
ten  minutes  the  sea-weed  was  removed,  and 
our  dinner  was  before  us,  spread  upon  its 
rocky  table. 

The  man  who  sits  down  at  a  clam-bake 
must  have  a  digestion  void  of  offense.  He 
must  ask  no  question  for  conscience'  sake, 
but  abandon  himself  with  reckless  temerity  to 
the  inviting  opportunity.  Thomas  seemed 
to  be  exactly  such  a  man.  There  was  a  hero- 
ism in  his  appetite  which  reminded  one  of 


28  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

the  Charge  of  the  Six  Hundred,  only  it  was 
the  clams  that  entered  the  jaws  o£  death. 
Some  blueberries,  a  patent  "  surprise  pud- 
ding "  of  Mrs.  Shayback's  invention,  and  a 
variety  of  incidentals,  which  if  named  would 
only  excite  envy,  furnished  the  aftermath. 
So  far  as  the  dinner  was  concerned  the  motto 
of  the  company  seemed  to  be,  "  Let  justice 
be  done  though  the  heavens  fall."  But  the 
heavens  did  not  fall ;  there  was  no  rain  and 
scarcely  a  cloud  to  mar  the  beauty  of  the 
day. 

The  subsequent  events  of  that  day  I  will 
not  describe ;  but  when  we  retired  to  our  lux- 
urious couches  that  evening,  Mrs.  Shayback 
and  Arline  wrote  in  their  journals  as  fol- 
lows :  — 

"Rose  in  the  morning. 

[Time  omitted,  but  fact  undoubted.] 

Breakfast  on  mackerel,  cunner,  silver  hake,  rock  cod, 
with  oatmeal,  milk,  crackers,  eggs,  and  blueberries. 

Sail  with  George  William. 

Delightful  clam-bake  at  noon  with  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Tom. 


A    GYPSY  CLAM-BAKE.  29 

Bath  in  the  cove  at  four  o'clock. 

Fish  chowder  at  five  at  Ca^'t.  AVright's. 

Game  of  croquet  till  G.30  ;  wore  beaten.  [This  part 
of  the  entry  was  written  very  indistinctly.] 

Sing  at  Mrs.  H 's  till  7.30. 

Swinging  the  hammock,  drying  dew-damp  slvocs  over 
the  kerosene  stove,  driving  in  tent-pins  till  8.30.  Good- 
night. 

#ab  a£,  M,  ^  M. 

^  yF  "TV*  Tf  "Jf* 

Three  weeks  o£  delightful  campmg  on  the 
Penohscot,  and  then  the  stars  of  heaven  — 
not  these  faint  imitations  of  the  printer  — 
and  Mars  with  his  red  lantern  and  retinue 
of  moons,  looking  down  on  Fern  Point, 
failed  to  see  the  gypsies'  home.  And  the 
good-natured  pilot  of  the  Camhridge,  who 
so  faithfully  whistled  a  salute  every  time  he 
passed  the  camp,  missed  one  morning  the 
gypsies'  welcome.  We  had  folded  our  tents 
like  the  Arahs  and  silently  stolen  away. 


CHAPTER  III. 

A   RAID    ON    CANADA. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shavback  had  tried  a  salt 
water  camp  ;  they  concluded  that  the  next 
year  they  would  try  one  on  fresh  water.  The 
reverend  gentleman,  as  summer  approached, 
began  to  play  "  hickory  dickory  dock "  on 
the  maps  of  a  much-neglected  geography. 
But  somehow  his  pencil  nearly  always  landed 
too  near  some  one  of  those  little  rinos  which 
on  most  maps  are  appropriately  used  to  des- 
ignate cities.  He  was  considering  the  expe- 
diency of  consulting  some  map  with  fewer 
places  on  it,  when  suddenly  his  pencil  dropped 
plump  into  the  centre  of  "Lake  Memphrema- 

"  Eureka,"  he  said,  as  he  recalled  a  rapid 
trip  which  he  had  made  with  IMrs.  Shayback 
through  that  lake  some  years  before.     "Let 


A   RAID   ON   CANADA.  31 

US  leave  our  native  land  and  enjoy  the  de- 
lights of  expatriation  in  the  wilds  of  Canada." 

"  There  are  some  beautiful  islands  in  the 
lake,"  said  Mrs.  Shaybaek.  "  I  have  always 
wanted  to  camp  on  an  island.  It  would  be 
delightful  to  have  one  all  to  ourselves." 

Mr.  Shaybaek  recalled  the  populous  piety 
and  the  early  morning  fervor  of  the  North- 
port  camp-meeting  and  said,  "  It  would." 

It  was  just  about  this  time  that  the  eyes  of 
all  England  w^ere  concentrated  upon  an  island 
in  the  Mediterranean.  Russia,  Austria,  and 
England  had  quarreled  over  tlie  choicest 
morsels  in  the  Eastern  platter.  Bismarck 
was  carving  to  the  best  of  his  ability  in  the 
diplomatic  conclave.  But  when  the  dinner 
was  over,  it  was  discovered  that  Beaconsfield 
had  helped  himself  to  a  whole  pie.  The 
Queen  presented  him  with  a  new  garter  and 
raised  the  flag  of  her  dominion  over  the  island 
of  Cyprus. 

"  What  a  delightful  reprisal  it  would  be," 
thought  Mr.  Shaybaek,  "while  the  Empress 
Victoria  is  exulting  over  the  acquisition  of 


32  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

Cyprus,  to  steal  softly  up  into  Canada  and 
capture  one  of  her  majesty's  islands."  Little 
did  the  Empress  of  India  think,  as  she  sat 
throned  in  her  own  imperiality,  of  the  plot 
which  was  being  concocted  in  the  United 
States  against  one  of  the  fairest  portions  of 
her  Dominion. 

It  took  hut  a  short  time  to  organize  the 
expedition.  It  was  concluded  that  the  lar- 
ger the  party,  the  less  likely  it  would  be  to 
succeed  either  in  capturing  the  island  or  in 
enjoying  its  coveted  solitude.  It  would  save 
bloodshed,  powder,  and  noise  to  seize  the  isl- 
and without  letting  her  majesty  know  any- 
thing about  it.  The  raiding  party  therefore 
simply  consisted  of  six :  namely.  Rev.  Mr. 
Shayback  (in  this  enumeration  I  proceed  from 
base  to  climax),  Mrs.  Shayback,  Captain  Cla- 
vis,  Miss  Futura  Clavis,  and  Signorina  Mezzo- 
fanti,  who  has  one  tongue  by  nature  and  a 
half-dozen  by  acquirement,  and  who  consid- 
ers the  conf usion-worse-conf oundedness  of  the 
tower  of  Babel  a  merciful  device  without 
which  the  science  of  philology  would  have 


A   RAID   ON  CANADA.  33 

been  impossible.  Last,  but  not  least,  I  must 
mention  Miss  Pusskin  Sliayback,  aged  five 
years,  and  her  doll  Anna,  who  early  lost  one 
foot  in  this  piratical  expedition,  but  shared 
the  vicissitudes  of  camp  life  with  an  unfailing 
patience. 

About  five  o'clock  on  a  certain  afternoon 
in  August,  this  hexagonal  party  of  Americans 
quietly  left  the  Passumpsic  Railroad  at  New- 
port, Vermont.  The  rain  which  fell  in  tor- 
rents could  not  wholly  dampen  the  ardor  of 
their  purpose.  A  few  of  them  took  refuge  for 
the  nioflit  under  the  shelterino^  eaves  of  the 
Memphremagog  House,  and  a  few  plunged 
into  the  simple  but  abundant  hospitality  of  a 
Canadian  farmhouse.  Thirty-six  hours  later 
the  scattered  forces  of  the  expedition  were 
reunited  under  a  propitious  sky,  and  a  plan  of 
operations  agreed  upon.  Lord's  Island,  some 
twenty  miles  away,  was  selected  as  the  objec- 
tive point.  To  be  sure  none  of  the  party  had 
visited  it.  They  only  knew  that  it  possessed 
the  first  and  most  important  attribute  of  an 
island,  that  of  being  entirely  surrounded  by 


34:  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

water.  But  it  was  described  by  the  captain 
of  the  Gracie  as  "  a  magnificent  place  to 
camp,  half  a  mile  each  side  from  the  main- 
land ;  fine  spring,  splendid  fishing,  beautiful 
prospect." 

One  of  the  most  important  instruments  for 
the  capture  of  an  island  is  a  suitable  navy. 
As  the  Shaybacks  had  neither  time  to  build 
nor  means  to  purchase,  they  were  obliged  to 
hire.  The  Gracie  is  a  small  propeller, 
about  forty  feet  long,  with  an  eight-horse  en- 
gine, a  cozy  cabin,  and  lines  of  beauty  which 
make  her  in  every  way  worthy  of  her  name. 
Her  services,  including  that  of  captain  and 
engineer,  were  available  for  the  reasonable 
sum  of  six  dollars  a  day. 

"  The  very  boat  we  need,"  said  Mr.  Shay- 
back  ;  and  the  Gracie  was  forthwith  hired, 
and  through  the  acquisition  of  Captain  Cla- 
vis's  double-barrel  breech-loader,  was  placed 
upon  a  war  footing.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shay- 
back  and  Pusskin  embarked  at  the  wharf  with 
their  luggage  without  exciting  suspicions 
of  hostile  intent.     A  mile  from  Newport  the 


A  RAID   ON  CANADA.  35 

frigate,  or,  more  literally,  the  gun-boat,  was 
stopped  to  take  aboard  Captain  Clavis,  Miss 
Futura  Clavis,  and  the  Signorina,  who  with 
commendable  enterprise  had  left  the  hotel 
and  formed  a  temporary  camp  on  a  point  of 
land. 

Thus  armed  and  equipped  the  Graeie  moved 
off  into  the  broad  and  beautiful  waters  of  the 
lake.  Bearings  were  taken  for  a  point  on  the 
east  shore,  about  five  miles  away.  As  we  en- 
tered the  cove  a  little  boat  was  seen  moving 
from  the  shore.  It  was  Cousin  Joseph, 
proudly  paddling  in  the  Hippogrif,  and  bring- 
ing from  home  a  pail  of  maple  sugar,  a  tub 
of  butternuts,  and  various  other  weapons  to 
add  to  our  arsenal.  The  Hippogrif,  a  flat- 
bottomed  skiff,  kindly  loaned  to  us  as  a  tender, 
was  to  enter  upon  a  new  and  glorious  destiny. 
"  Tender  "  not  only  describes  the  function  of 
the  little  craft,  but  also  the  feeling  which 
Joseph  held  towards  it,  and  which  in  time  we 
all  came  to  share.  The  *•  Hippo,"  as  we  called 
it  for  short,  was  not  modeled  for  speed  or  for 
beauty.     She  looks  more  like  a  coffin  than 


36  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

anything  else  ;  but  her  looks  belie  her  func- 
tion, for  she  has  proved  to  be  as  stanch  as  a 
whaler,  and  as  dry  as  a  prohibitionist.  For 
waltzing  on  the  water  no  boat  can  surpass 
her.  With  a  single  oarsman  she  will  spin 
around  on  her  flat  bottom  like  a  top,  unless 
the  box  in  her  stern  is  filled  with  stones ;  but 
you  could  hardly  tip  her  over  if  you  tried. 
She  is  as  sound  and  trusty  as  Joseph  her 
owner. 

With  the  Hippo  tied  behind,  the  Gracie 
moved  on  her  way.  We  soon  came  to  Prov- 
ince Island,  part  of  which  is  in  the  United 
States  and  jiart  in  Canada.  We  look  in  vain 
in  the  lake  for  any  evidence  of  the  boundary 
line.  The  waters  seem  to  have  no  more  ten- 
dency to  divide  at  that  point  than  they  do  at 
any  other,  and  the  fish  beneath,  I  presume, 
are  profoundly  unconscious  that  at  one  time 
they  are  swimming  under  the  American  flag 
and  at  another  time  under  the  British.  The 
consciousness  silently  steals  over  us,  however, 
that  WG  are  "  ahroady  We  are  bevond  the 
protection    and    beyond    the   vengeance    of 


A   RAID   ON  CANADA.  37 

American  laws.  AVe  are  in  the  country  Tvliich 
once  held  its  cegis  over  the  fugitive  slave,  and 
which  now  holds  it  over  escaped  bank  presi- 
dents and  truant  cashiers. 

We  ran  into  a  little  cove  on  the  east  shore 
to  wood  up.  The  discovery  that  our  gun- 
boat was  aground  threatened  to  wreck  the 
hopes  of  the  expedition,  which  depended 
largely  for  its  success  upon  our  making  a 
landing  before  sundown.  The  captain,  how- 
ever, with  his  usual  deliberation  and  compos- 
ure, seized  the  flag-staff,  drew  it  from  its 
socket,  and  rammed  it  into  the  ground.  The 
boat  slowly  responded  to  his  effort,  and  once 
more  felt  "  the  thrill  of  life  alons"  her  keel." 

Again  we  abandon  ourselves  to  the  scenery, 
and  to  a  careful  digestion  of  the  details  of 
our  plot.  But  Mrs.  Shayback,  who  is  sitting 
just  forward  of  the  pilot-house,  begins  to  turn 
up  her  nose  contemptuously  at  everything  we 
say. 

"  What  is  the  matter,  Mrs.  Shayback  ?  " 

"  Don't  you  smell  anything  ?  " 

We  snuff  the  air  with  our  nostrils.    We  do 


38  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

smell  something'.  We  see,  too,  a  little  smoke 
curling  from  the  hurricane  -  deck.  llie 
steamer  is  on  fire,  and  two  hundred  and 
fortij  miles  from  Boston  ! 

Joseph  and  Captain  Clavis  rush  to  the  hur- 
ricane-deck to  combat  the  devouring  flames, 
while  Mr.  Shayback  runs  to  the  other  end  of 
the  boat  to  alarm  the  fire  department.  We 
see  imaginatively  the  tongue  of  fire  curling  to 
the  mast-head.  We  see  the  whole  steamer 
wrapped  in  flames  !  We  see  the  boy  standing 
on  the  burning  deck  till  all  but  him  have  fled, 
and  Avonder  how  he  could  be  so  foolish,  when 
he  might  have  gone  off  in  a  small  boat. 

Captain  Clavis  was  a  walking  arsenal,  belted 
and  loaded  down  with  cartridges.  Futura 
pleaded  with  him  not  to  go  too  near  the 
flames.  Had  he  become  ignited  he  would 
have  gone  off  like  a  gatling  gun.  "  Do  be 
careful,"  she  said. 

"  I  will,"  was  the  response,  and  he  rushed 
into  the  flames  with  such  renewed  zeal  that 
the  devouring  element  was  homoeopathically 
quenched  by  his  inextinguishable  ardor. 


A  RAID  ON  CANADA.  39 

The  danj^er  over,  a  list  of  losses  was  taken. 
The  fire,  it  appeared,  was  confined  to  the  1u<t- 
gage.  Our  straw  ticks  were  well  scorched ; 
the  Signorina  had  four  holes  burned  through 
her  waterproof.  Several  umbrellas  were  ven- 
tilated in  the  same  way.  Mr.  Shayback's  hat 
was  scorched,  and  Futura  received  a  burn  on 
the  back  of  her  hand. 

Loss  about  five  dollars.  No  insurance. 
As  Futura  had  already  pledged  her  hand  to 
Captain  Clavis,  the  damage  done  to  that  mem- 
ber was  felt  by  him  as  a  personal  loss,  and 
every  one  knew  that  Captain  C.  would  rather 
have  scorched  his  native  hand  ten  times  over 
than  the  one  he  had  acquired  by  a  judicious 
expenditure  of  the  affections. 

During  all  this  excitement  the  captain  of 
the  steamer  stood  manfully  at  his  wheel.  His 
usual  deliberation  did  not  desert  him ;  his  in- 
difference was  heroic. 

"  Captain,  did  you  know  the  steamer  was 
on  fire  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  the  captain ;  *^  it  gets  on  fire 
every  day." 


40  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

He  might  have  added,  "  and  nobody  suf- 
fers but  the  passengers." 

Mr.  Shayback  reported  on  the  origin  and 
cause  of  the  fire.  It  originated,  he  said,  in 
the  fire  under  the  boiler,  and  was  soon  com- 
municated to  the  smoke-stack,  and  thence  fell 
in  a  shower  of  sparks  on  the  hurricane-deck ; 
as  the  wind  moved  faster  than  the  boat 
the  sparks  were  thus  carried  forward  of  the 
wheel-house.  The  only  way  to  prevent  fu- 
ture conflagration  in  that  stage  of  the  wind 
was  to  run  the  boat  stern  foremost ;  but  a 
more  effectual  remedy  would  be  to  pour  a  few 
pails  of  water  down  the  smoke-stack. 

"  Do  you  see  that  island  about  three  miles 
ahead  of  us?"  asked  the  captain  of  the 
Gracie.     "  Well,  that 's  Lord's  Island." 

All  the  latent  Robinson  Crusoeism  of  our 
natures  was  kindled  by  this  announcement. 
Visions  of  the  victory  before  us  were  painted 
by  an  over-heated  imagination.  We  touched 
at  Georgeville  for  a  few  minutes,  a  village 
with  which  we  were  ultimately  to  become 
much  more  familiar.  None  of  the  inhabit- 
ants suspected  our  predatory  intentions. 


A   RAID   ON  CANADA.  41 

Twenty  minutes  later  we  hove  to  on  the 
west  side  of  the  island.  Joseph,  Captain 
Clavis,  and  Mr.  Shayback  proceeded  to  re- 
connoitre in  the  Hippogrif.  They  found  the 
island  guarded  by  two  thousand  British  squir- 
rels, but  not  a  mosquito  or  a  black  fly.  It 
was  further  garrisoned  by  a  dense  growth  of 
trees  and  underbrush.  They  stood  together 
like  a  solid  phalanx  of  the  Queen's  Own. 
Possession  could  only  be  gained  by  a  vigorous 
use  of  the  axe.  On  the  south  side,  however, 
a  small  clearing  was  discovered,  just  large 
enough,  by  cutting  away  brake  and  under- 
brush, to  admit  three  tents.  We  had  come 
to  take  the  island,  and  take  it  we  must  be- 
cause it  was  too  late  to  take  anything  else. 
We  returned  to  the  Gracie  for  our  baggage. 
Reinforced  by  the  rest  of  the  party,  except- 
ing Joe,  who  being  a  loyal  Canadian  went 
back  with  the  steamer,  the  capture  was  quickly 
and  bloodlessly  made.  Lord's  Island  was 
ours,  and  we  were  lords  of  the  isle. 

We  put  up  our  tents,  crowding  them  to- 
gether in  the  inhospitable  clearing,  and  ate 
our  supper. 


42  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

We  had  taken  the  island  without  blood ; 
but  we  were  not  to  take  it  without  water. 
There  was  not  a  single  vessel  of  the  Queen's 
navy  on  the  lake  to  resent  this  invasion  ;  but 
our  sentinels  reported  that  a  vast  fleet  of 
dark,  and  heavily  armed  clouds  was  gathering 
overhead.  Had  the  Queen  of  England,  like 
the  Queen  of  Heaven,  power  over  ^Eolus,  who 
rules  with  imperial  sway  the  reluctant  winds 
and  sounding  tempests  ? 

"  'T  is  thine,  O  Queen,  to  ask 
Whate'er  thou  wilt ;  my  part  to  do  what  bid." 

Regina  was  massing  her  forces  for  a  night 
attack.  The  Shaybacks  began  to  intrench 
themselves.  They  feared  not  that  the  enemy 
would  succeed  in  storming  the  roof;  their 
tent-flies  would  repel  a  heavy  bombardment  of 
rain  and  hail.  They  feared  rather  that,  like 
the  boys  who  find  the  vulnerable  point  of  a 
circus,  the  enemy  might  crawl  underneath. 
An  axe  does  not  seem  a  formidable  weapon 
against  a  thunder-storm,  but  it  is  one  of  the 
best  defenses  a  camper  has.     In  the  absence 


A  RAID  ON  CANADA.  43 

of  a  spade,  it  i;:)akes  a  good  intrenching-tool. 
With  its  aid  the  Shaybacks  cut  around  their 
tents  such  a  ditch  as  rocks  and  roots  would 
permit.  They  spread  their  rubber  blankets  on 
the  ground  within,  and  their  woolen  blankets 
above  them.  Mother  earth  furnished  the 
only  mattress.  Pusskin  was  swung  in  her 
hammock  between  the  tent-poles,  fearing 
neither  the  waters  above  the  earth  nor  the 
waters  under  the  earth. 

Thus  fortified  the  Shaybacks  laid  them 
down  to  rest.  They  awoke  a  few  hours  later 
to  witness  one  of  the  grandest  Canadian 
thunder-storms  that  ever  attacked  an  Ameri- 
can invader.  How  the  artillery  pealed,  and 
the  lijjhtninij  flashed  its  fflitterinjj  scimeter  ! 
The  rain  poured  in  torrents.  Repulsed  on 
the  roof,  it  fell  dripping  with  defeat  into  the 
trench  below.  It  channeled  a  river  throusch 
Mr.  Shayback's  tent,  but  as  the  sleepers,  with 
the  camper's  instinct,  had  made  their  beds  on 
the  high  side  of  the  ground,  it  compelled  no 
surrender.  Suddenly  the  sky  was  flushed 
with   a   bright   light.      The   lightning    had 


44  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

struck  a  barn  on  the  west  sliore  one  or  two 
miles  away.  We  sallied  forth  during'  a  lull 
in  the  rain  to  view  the  sight.  If  that  blow 
were  meant  for  us,  iEolus  is  a  bad  marks- 
man. 

A  more  genuine  sense  of  alarm  was  expe- 
rienced by  Mr.  Shayback  an  hour  later,  when 
it  suddenly  occurred  to  him  that  the  tide 
might  have  arisen  and  carried  off  the  Hippo, 
our  only  boat,  and  that  communication  with 
the  mainland  would  be  difficult  under  such 
circumstances.  He  rushed  down  the  bank  to 
the  lake  shore.  The  Hippo  was  there,  and 
Mr.  Shayback  was  relieved.  He  pulled  it  up 
higher  and  saw  that  the  fastening  Avas  secure. 
As  he  returned  it  occurred  to  him  that  the 
tide  does  not  rise  in  fresh-water  lakes.  He 
defended  himself  against  the  logical  gibes  of 
the  camp  by  saying  that  in  such  a  storm  even 
illogical  precautions  were  necessary,  and  that 
a  good  strong  dose  of  wind  and  wave  might 
be  equal  to  a  high  tide. 

The  Shaybacks  woke  the  next  morning  to 
find   that   the  clouds  had  retreated,  having 


A   RAID   ON  CANADA.  45 

used  up  all  their  ammunition  in  a  vain  effort 
to  dislodge  the  invaders.  AVe  were  mon- 
arehs  of  all  we  surveyed.  By  right  of  con- 
quest the  island  was  informally  annexed  to 
the  United  States. 

Within  twenty-four  hours  what  had  we 
accomplished?  We  had  wrested  an  unin- 
habited island  from  the  dominion  of  its  own 
solitude  ;  we  had  established  law  and  order ; 
instituted  republican  government;  introduced 
the  Christian  religion;  reorganized  society  on 
a  cooperative  basis;  effected  a  reform  in 
labor ;  secured  the  rights  of  woman ;  founded 
a  free  public  library  of  a  dozen  volumes,  and 
opened  a  school  of  practical  philosophy. 
"  And  now,"  said  Mr.  Shayback,  ''  all  that 
remains  to  be  done  with  this  island  is  to 
abandon  it  as  soon  as  possible." 

It  need  hardly  be  said  that  the  conquest 
of  the  island  thus  recited  was  a  n'reat  vie- 
tory.  It  sounds  better  to  call  it  so.  Mr. 
Shayback  has  such  an  ear  for  music  that  he 
cannot  bear  to  hear  it  called  anything  else. 


46  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

But  when  I  asked  the  reverend  gentleman 
whether  it  Avas  a  victory  for  us  or  for  the  isl- 
and he  smiled  compassionately.  Yet  it  is  a 
strange  fact  that  after  we  had  conquered  the 
island  none  of  us  wanted  to  stay  there.  The 
thirst  for  conquest  had  been  excited.  We 
sighed  for  new  worlds.  That  is  the  way  Mr. 
Shayback  preferred  to  look  at  it.  There 
was  another  way  of  looking  at  it.  It  was 
the  Jonah  way.  When  Jonah  captured  the 
whale  he  undoubtedly  felt  that  he  had 
achieved  a  great  victory.  He  had  secured  a 
whole  whale,  —  a  whale  all  to  himself !  Yet 
as  he  quietly  reviewed  his  prophetic  career, 
and  took  an  internal  view  of  his  prophetic 
situation,  he  must  have  felt  that  his  scope  for 
exultation  was  limited.  The  great  majority 
of  the  party  felt  very  much  the  same  as  the 
en  whaled  prophet.  We  had  captured  a  whole 
island  !  We  were  its  sole  human  occupants  ! 
We  had  won  a  signal  victory.  But  as  we 
took  an  internal  view  of  our  situation  we 
somehow  felt  that  there  was  still  opportunity 
for   humility.     We   found    ourselves   on   an 


A   RAID   ON  CANADA.  47 

island  of  about  one  hundred  acres,  covered 
with  a  heavy  growth  of  cedar  and  birch. 
Exploration  disclosed  a  small  clearing  in  the 
centre,  but  so  thickly  covered  with  brake 
and  bramble  that  pedestrianism  was  slow  and 
unprofitable.  The  ground  was  moist  and 
thickly  strew^n  with  dead  leaves.  There  was 
a  luxuriant  growth  of  ferns.  We  had  pitched 
our  tents  on  the  desolate  site  of  an  old  camp. 
There  was  no  view,  no  spring,  no  brook,  no 
field,  no  sandy  beach. 

Mr.  Mallock  has  written  the  history  of 
"  Positivism  on  an  Island."  The  conditions 
here,  however,  were  essentially  negative.  The 
only  thing  positive  was  the  positive  discom- 
fort. It  was  a  splendid  island  to  give  away 
to  somebody. 

Accordingly,  the  next  morning  Captain 
Clavis  and  Mr.  Shayback  manned  the  Ilippo- 
grif  and  started  on  a  voyage  of  discovery  to 
the  mainland.  They  were  successful  in  find- 
ing an  attractive  spot  some  two  miles  nearer 
the  village,  —  a  delightful  combination  of 
grove,  beach,  brook,  and  point,  which  seemed 


48  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

to  have  been  made  expressly  for  their  purpose. 
An  extra  boat  and  boatmen  were  hired,  but 
it  was  no  little  work  to  effect  the  removal  from 
the  island  to  Merriman's  Point,  with  a  high 
wind,  a  rough  lake,  and  boats  heavily  laden ; 
but  when  the  transfer  was  made,  and  the 
camp  was  fairly  settled,  the  Shaybacks  could 
claim  as  their  summer  home  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  sites  on  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
lakes  of  the  northern  chain. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

MEMPHREMAGOG. 

"  Memphremagog,"  said  the  principal  of 
a  New  York  grammar  school,  "that  is  in 
Maine,  is  n't  it  ?  " 

Mr.  Shayback  smiled  a  tender  geographi- 
cal rebuke.  Glimpses  of  latitude  and  longi- 
tude flashed  in  mild  commiseration  from  his 
eyes.  Think  not  that  all  the  "  quoddies," 
"gogs,"  "wippis,"  and  "  bagoes,"  are  in 
Maine.  Maine,  to  be  sure,  is  one  of  the 
most  dropsical  places  in  the  United  States, 
judging  from  the  amount  of  lake  water  it 
holds  in  its  geographical  body,  and  it  is  pep- 
pered all  over  with  unpronounceable  names ; 
but  it  is  not  the  only  place  where  the  Indian 
tongue  has  wrought  its  ravages.  If  you  con- 
sult the  Koran  you  will  find  that  the  Scrip- 
tural Gog  and  Magog  are  north  of  the  Cau- 


50  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

casus ;  and  if  you  as  religiously  consult  a 
map  of  the  United  States  you  will  find  that 
the  unscriptural  Memphreniagog-  begins  in 
the  northern  part  of  Vermont ;  that  it  is,  in- 
deed, a  sheet  of  water  hanging  over  the  inter- 
national boundary  line,  one  third  of  it  drip- 
ping into  the  United  States,  and  the  other 
two  thirds  into  Canada.  If  you  subject  this 
word  to  the  tortures  of  philological  inquisi- 
tion, the  meaning  it  confesses  is  "  beautiful 
water."  Whether  the  etymology  is  truthful 
I  have  no  means  of  knowing ;  but  there  are 
so  many  Indian  words  meaning  ''  beautiful 
water "  that  suspicion  w^ould  naturally  be 
aroused  if  this  one  meant  anything  else. 
And  if,  in  the  vicissitudes  of  language, 
"  beautiful  water  *'  should  get  detached  from 
any  other  scenery,  whether  in  the  Trosachs, 
the  Alps,  or  the  Sierra  Nevadas,  and  should 
seek  a  new  location,  I  do  not  know  where 
these  words  could  more  truthfully  settle  their 
significance  than  on  the  name  of  Memphre- 
magog. 

It  is  nine  years  since  the  Shaybacks  first 


MEMPHREMAGOG.  51 

made  the  raid  described  in  the  preceding 
chapter  upon  an  ishiiid  in  the  Canathan  por- 
tion of  that  lake,  violently  wrested  it  from 
the  dominion  of  the  Queen,  and,  after  camp- 
inir  two  nio'hts  in  dolorous  discomfort  in  the 
brakes  and  bushes  of  its  solitude,  finally  dis- 
covered and  took  possession  of  an  ideal  camp- 
ing-place on  the  main  shore.  Many  years 
before  that  time  the  first  settlers  on  the 
eastern  shore  of  Lake  Memphremagog  had 
landed  at  this  very  point,  and  slept  there  the 
first  night  of  their  sojourn,  from  which  fact 
it  had  received  the  prosaic  name  of  "  Bed- 
room Point."  But  the  landing  of  the  Shay- 
backs  on  this  charming  little  peninsula  had 
all  the  zest  of  fresh  discovery.  History  had 
repeated  itself,  and  has  continued  to  repeat 
itself  ever  since :  for  the  Shaybacks  migrate 
to  Memphremagog  in  the  middle  of  August 
as  naturally  as  the  birds  of  that  lovely  region 
fly  soutli  at  the  approach  of  winter.  So 
subtle  is  the  charm  which  this  sheet  of  water 
and  its  surroundiufj:  mountains  weave  over 
the    lover   of   nature   that   it   is   difficult   to 


52  THE  SU AY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

break  it  after  he  lias  once  come  under  its 
spell.  For  two  or  three  years  past  the  Shay- 
backs  have  vainly  tried  to  <»'o  somewhere  else, 
but  have  not  been  finally  able  to  make  up 
their  minds  to  drink  their  summer  pleasure 
wholly  from  another  cup.  Mr.  Shayback  ex- 
plains it  on  scientific  principles.  The  mag- 
netic pole,  he  asserts,  is  not  located  at  Boothia 
Felix,  but  in  the  vicinity  of  Memphremagog. 
And  as  the  Shaybacks  have  a  considerable 
quantity  of  iron  in  their  constitutions,  they 
invariably  point  tow^ards  the  north. 

It  is  not  easy  to  analyze  all  the  currents  of 
influence  which  produce  this  state  of  attrac- 
tion. The  wild,  natural  beauty  of  the  region 
is  a  laro'e  element  in  the  total.  The  associa- 
tions  formed  by  repeated  visits  have  much  to 
do  with  it.  One  cannot  catalogue  the  beauty 
of  a  landscape  any  more  than  he  can  cata- 
logue the  beauty  of  a  poem  by  naming  the 
words  it  contains.  Emerson's  "  Each  and 
All "  is  the  true  exposition  of  the  fascination 
of  natural  beauty.  The  scenery  of  Memphre- 
magog  is  incisive,  vigorous,  robust.     Its  fea- 


MEMPIIREMA  GOG.  53 

tures  are  distinct,  salient,  characteristic.  Here 
is  a  sheet  o£  water  thirty  miles  long,  and 
from  one  to  four  miles  wide.  It  cannot  claim, 
like  Winnipesaukee,  a  wealth  of  island  jew- 
elry, but  the  brooch  and  studs  it  wears  are 
enough  to  adorn  without  destroying  the  unity 
of  its  shining  bosom.  Its  shores  are  heavily 
wooded,  and  for  the  most  part  bold  and 
rugged,  but  at  times  gently  subsiding  into 
sloj^ing  beaches. 

Owl's  Head  is  the  special  mountain  guar- 
dian of  the  "  beautiful  water  "  that  nestles  at 
its  base.  It  rises  abruptly  from  the  lake  for 
nearly  three  thousand  feet.  It  is  a  hairy 
giant,  a  mountain  Esau,  covered  with  a  heavy 
growth  of  forest  from  base  to  peak.  To 
only  one  mountain  in  Lower  Canada  does  it 
yield  preeminence,  and  that  is  Mount  Orford, 
Avhich  rises  grandly  to  the  north  about  six 
miles  from  the  foot  of  the  lake.  Orford  is 
but  three  hundred  feet  higher  ;  but  this  is 
enough  to  earn  for  it  the  title  of  the  highest 
mountain  in  Lower  Canada.  Its  head  is  as 
bald  as  that  of  Elisha,  except  when  some  soft, 


54  THE  SHAYDACKS  IN  CAMP. 

fleecy  cloud  kindly  settles  like  a  nightcap  on 
its  crown.  Little  Orford  is  rooted  not  far 
away  from  the  paternal  mountain.  And  all 
around  them  are  grouped  children  of  a 
younger  and  less  ambitious  generation.  Still 
another  bold  and  striking  figure  forms  a  part 
of  the  montanic  community  which  holds  the 
lake  in  its  cup.  Elephantis  does  not  belie  its 
name.  Viewed  from  the  eastern  shore  of  the 
lake,  where  the  Shaybacks  camp,  it  is  an 
almost  perfect  outline  of  a  sitting  elephant, 
its  trunk  stretched  out  on  the  ground  before 
it.  We  almost  wonder  that  the  Great  Show- 
man has  not  tried  to  capture  it  for  his  me- 
nagerie. This  is  the  only  elephant,  perhaps, 
that  his  gold  could  not  move. 

Back  of  Elephantis  the  sky  line  is  serrated, 
curved,  and  broken  by  numerous  hills  and 
mountains,  which  would  be  famous  if  dropped 
out  on  a  Western  prairie,  but  which  in  Can- 
ada, where  mountains  are  cheap,  have  not 
received  the  honor  of  a  name.  Far  to  the 
south  of  Owl's  Head,  Jay  Peak  pierces  the 
Bky.      Mount  Her  and   Mount   Willoughby 


MEMPIIR  EM  A  GOG.  55 

stand  like  a  pair  of  twins,  li()lclin<^  a  wator- 
bueket  —  and  a  cliarminf»'  bucket  is  Lake 
Wiilougliby  —  between  them.  Once,  on  a 
remarkably  clear  day,  from  the  pilot-house  of 
the  Lady  of  the  Lake,  I  was  able  to  see,  if 
Captain  Fogg,  who  furnished  tlie  only  mis- 
tiness on  the  occasion,  was  not  mistaken,  the 
top  of  Mount  Washington  blending  with  the 
sk^'. 

This  is  the  setting  of  Memphremagog,  — 
a  setting  of  which  it  may  well  be  proud. 
The  head  of  the  lake  rests  in  Vermont,  its 
feet  and  its  two  broad  arms  lie  in  Canada. 
Nestling  peacefully  in  the  lap  of  the  moun- 
tains, it  is  a  sleeping  beauty.  Torn  by  winds 
and  storms,  it  is  maniacal  in  its  fury.  It  is  a 
lake  of  many  moods :  amiable,  placid,  serene, 
rippling  with  breezy  smiles,  or  frenzied  by 
tumultuous  passion.  Its  scenery  is  pictur- 
esque, its  sunsets  gorgeous,  and  among  its 
negative  virtues  we  may  mention  the  absence 
of  fogs,  mosquitoes,  and  black  flies. 

One  element  in  the  charm  of  Memphre- 
magog is  the  general  aspect  of  wildness  which 


56  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN   CAMP. 

still  reijifns  on  its  shores.  There  are  a  few 
tasteful  villas  on  the  eastern  side  and  a  hotel 
at  the  hase  of  Owl's  Head ;  hut  hetween 
Newport  and  Magog,  w^hich  lie  at  the  ex- 
tremities of  the  lake,  there  is  hut  one  little 
village  on  the  immediate  shore.  There  is  a 
sense  of  solitude  which  civilization  has  not 
yet  exorcised.  The  Lady  of  the  Lake,  the 
Memphremagog,  the  Mountain  Maid,  and  oc- 
casionally the  Newport,  plow  the  clear  water 
in  front  of  the  Shayhacks'  camp,  hut  the 
sound  of  the  locomotive  whistle  is  not  heard. 
The  mournful,  lonely  cry  of  the  loon,  break- 
ing into  a  hysterical  laugh  hardly  less  plain- 
tive than  its  wail,  is  a  familiar  note.  Nature, 
not  art,  rules  at  Memphremagog,  and  Mr. 
Shayback  believes  that  the  only  way  one  can 
fairly  enter  into  sympathy  with  it  here  is 
through  the  medium  of  a  life  without  con- 
ventionality, conforming  to  the  simplicity  of 
nature,  and  partaking  of  its  wild,  luxurious 
freedom ;  in  other  words,  through  the  medium 
of  camp-life.  To  worship  at  this  shrine  one 
needs  to  take  the  shoes  from  off  his  feet. 


MEMPHREMAGOG.  57 

Mr.  Sliayback  accordingly  goes  barefooted 
half  the  time. 

But  those  who  are  more  dependent  upon 
shoemakers,  shingle  roofs,  spring  beds,  and 
other  appliances  of  civilization,  arc  not  de- 
prived of  the  privilege  of  a  sojourn  on  Meni- 
phremagog.  It  is  one  of  the  great  advantages 
of  the  lake  that  though  preserving  its  orig- 
inal simplicity  and  wildness  of  character  it  is 
still  easily  accessible  to  lines  of  travel.  There 
are  portions  of  it  —  such  for  instance  as  at 
the  head  of  Sargent's  Bay  —  where  the  visitor 
might  seclude  himself  from  all  contact  Avitli 
the  outer  world,  and  live  in  a  hermitical  re- 
tirement equal  to  that  which  he  would  find  in 
the  wilds  of  Canada  farther  north  ;  but  if  he 
wishes  to  feel  the  pulse-beat  of  civilization 
through  the  telegraph  and  the  daily  mail,  he 
may  enjoy  these  recognized  privileges  in  any 
of  the  three  villaii'es  which  lie  on  the  lake. 

Of  these  three  villages  Newport  is  the 
largest.  It  is  situated  about  two  miles  from 
the  head  of  the  lake,  and  about  five  miles 
south  of  the  boundary  line.     As  it  is  on  the 


58  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

direct  line  from  Montreal  to  Boston,  it  fur- 
nishes a  tempting"  place  for  the  traveler  to 
break  his  journey  betAveen  these  points.  The 
Memphrcmagog  House  is  well  known  as  one 
of  the  larsfest  and  most  comfortable  of  sum- 
mer  hotels.  Many  business  men  from  both 
Boston  and  Montreal  wdio  do  not  mind  the 
proximity  of  a  locomotive  take  rooms  here 
during  the  summer.  The  view  of  the  lake 
from  the  shore  itself  does  not  do  justice  to 
its  beauty  ;  but  from  Prospect  Hill,  above 
the  town,  a  nuich  better  idea  of  its  extent 
and  picturesqueness  may  be  formed.  New- 
port has  all  the  characteristics  of  a  thriving 
Vermont  town.  From  this  point  the  steamer 
Lady  of  the  Lake  makes  excursions  through 
the  lake  twice  a  day,  usually  running  to 
Georgeville,  twenty  miles,  in  the  morning,  and 
in  the  afternoon  to  Magog,  at  the  foot  of  the 
lake.  The  latter  village  now  has  direct  com- 
munication by  railroad  with  Montreal.  It  is 
smaller  than  Newq)ort,  and  its  hotel  accommo- 
dations are  divided  up  between  two  or  three 
houses.     Within  the  last  two  years,  however, 


MEMPHREMA  GOG.  59 

a  cotton  factory  has  been  established  in  this 
village,  which  has  drawn  a  large  number  of 
hands  :"nd  accelerated  the  growth  of  the 
place. 

The  third  villas^e  we  have  named,  Georjje- 
ville,  is  of  more  special  interest  to  the  campers, 
because  it  is  their  base  of  supplies.  It  is 
about  twenty  miles  from  the  head  of  the  lake 
and  ten  miles  from  Magog.  It  is  a  small 
Canadian  hamlet,  containing,  when  its  summer 
boarders  are  subtracted,  about  one  hundred 
inhabitants,  two  churches,  a  school,  a  post- 
office,  two  blacksmith  shops,  and  a  new  and 
larji^e  hotel.  Georfjeville  is  one  of  the  most 
self-possessed  towns  in  Canada ;  a  single  wire 
and  a  daily  mail-bag  keep  it  in  communication 
with  the  outside  world.  The  two  daily  events 
in  the  life  of  the  hamlet  are  the  arrival  of  the 
steamboat  twice  a  day  with  the  latest  intelli- 
gence from  the  United  States,  and  the  en- 
trance of  the  mail-bag,  w  liicli  comes  by  v*'agon 
a  distance  of  about  ten  miles.  Being  within 
two  hours'  sail  :  '^  the  United  States,  it  has  an 
international  interest  in  the  great  events  which 


60  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP, 

occur  on  both  sides  of  the  line.  But  no 
breezes  of  intelligence  from  any  direction  ever 
disturb  the  perfect  serenity  of  its  peace.  In 
the  course  of  several  years'  acquaintance  I 
have  never  known  Georgeville  to  exhibit  a 
state  of  excitement  save  on  two  occasions. 
Once  when  Lord  Dufferin,  in  1878,  stopped 
for  a  few  minutes  at  the  village ;  the  other, 
when  it  was  rumored  that  a  certain  small 
steam-yacht,  described  in  a  subsequent  chap- 
ter, was  sinking.  Georgeville  enjoys  the  dis- 
tinction of  possessing  a  little  world  of  its  own. 
The  simplicity  of  the  town  has  not  been 
perverted.  The  supreme  deliberation  of  its 
inhabitants  is  sometimes  exasperating  to  a 
nervous  American,  but  it  is  exac^'y  the  sed- 
ative he  needs.  He  soon  catches  the  influence 
of  its  soporific  spirit,  and  takes  an  hour  to  do 
a  job  or  an  errand  which  he  could  do  com- 
fortably in  thirty  minutes. 

The  old  Camperdown  Hotel,  with  the  sen- 
tinel evergreens  which  stood  like  grenadiers 
in  front  of  its  portals,  was  one  of  the  pic- 
turesque features  of  the  place,  and  harmonized 


MEMPHREMAGOG.  61 

with  the  prhnitive  fashion  and  comfortable 
inactivity  of  the  little  town.  It  was  con- 
stantly crowded  with  more  boarders  than  it 
could  hold,  and  under  an  impulse  of  enter- 
prise a  company  was  formed,  which  has  built 
a  large  and  not  very  picturescpie  hotel  capa- 
ble of  accommodating  one  hundred  and  lifty 
guests.  The  presence  of  such  a  large  hotel 
in  these  primitive  surroundings  seems  like  a 
new  and  conspicuous  patch  upon  an  old  gown. 
It  is  evidence,  however,  that  a  number  of  peo- 
ple have  found  out  that  this  village  is  about 
the  most  beautiful  point  on  the  lake  for  a 
summer  sojourn.  I  cannot  speak  of  George- 
ville  without  bearing  testimony  to  the  uniform 
kindiiess,  generosity,  and  courtesy  of  its  in- 
habitants. In  their  monthly  sojourn,  which 
has  covered  a  period  of  eight  years,  the  Shay- 
backs  have  never  sulfered  from  any  intrusion 
whatever,  and  have  had  constant  occasion  to 
be  grateful  for  services  received. 

Another  resort  which  has  many  attractions 
for  the  summer  visitor  is  the  Mountain  House, 
at  the  foot  of  Owl's  Head.     To  those  espe- 


62  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

cially  who  enjoy  mountain  clnnl)iniv  the  situ- 
ation of  the  hotel  at  the  base  of  the  mountain 
is  very  convenient.  The  Mountain  House 
was  for  a  Avhile  suffered  to  lapse  into  decay, 
but  it  has  since  been  refitted  and  furnished, 
and  affords  a  beautiful  Jind  secluded  retreat. 
Opposite  the  Mountain  House,  across  the  lake, 
is  Bay  View,  a  grove  wdiicli  serves  as  an  at- 
tractive goal  for  various  excursions  from  New- 
port and  Magog. 

The  number  of  private  residences  on  Lake 
Memphremagog  is  snuxll  compared  with  those 
that  adorn  Lake  George.  On  the  west  side 
of  the  lake;  in  its  whole  length  from  Newport 
to  Magog,  there  is  scarcely  a  purely  summer 
residence  that  I  know  of.  On  the  east  shore 
the  most  conspicuous  summer  home  is  that  of 
the  late  Sir  Hugh  A  Han.  It  is  situated  about 
four  miles  south  of  Georgeville,  on  a  penin- 
sula which  commands  a  beautiful  view  of-  the 
lake.  The  suiTounding  grounds  are  Avell 
cultivated  and  tastefully  laid  out.  Sir  Hugh 
Allan  was  the  owner  of  a  large  and  beautiful 
steam  yacht,  made  after  the  model   of   the 


MEMPHR  EM  A  GOG.  63 

ocean  steamers  of  the  "  Allan  Line."  Since 
his  death  tho  steamer  has  heen  removed  from 
the  lake.  Mr.  Alexander  Molson,  of  Mon- 
treal, has  a  farm  and  residence  on  the  east 
shore,  ahove  that  of  Sir  Hugh  Allan  and  near 
Molson  Island.  The  bay  formed  on  the  in- 
side of  this  island,  protected  as  it  is  from  the 
severest  storms  of  the  lake,  is  one  of  the  most 
delightful  and  retired  spots  of  Memphrema- 
ffoo*-  Another  Montreal  o^entleman  has  re- 
cently  erected  a  fine  house  on  a  bluff  near 
Georgeville,  commanding  a  noble  view  of  the 
lake  and  surrounding  country.  There  are 
some  other  places  on  the  east  shore  Avhicli 
might  deserve  an  enumeration  if  vre  were 
writing  a  guide-book,  but  the  visitor  is  on  the 
whole  surprised  that  this  lovely  lake  should 
have  remained  so  long  in  the  possession  of 
the  farming  community  by  which  it  is  sur- 
rounded. 

The  principal  islands  in  the  lake  are  Prov- 
ince Island,  Whetstone  Island,  Long  Island, 
Molson  Island,  and  Lord's  Island,  to  which 
the  reader  has  been  introduced  in  a  previous 


64  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

cliapter.  There  are  various  other  smaller 
islands,  mostly  lying  in  the  southern  part  of 
the  lake. 

Beyond  its  natural  and  perennial  beauty 
Lake  Memphremagog  has  little  to  offer  to 
those  who  seek  natural  scenery  as  they  go  to 
a  museum  to  find  unique  and  curious  things. 
Skinner's  Cave,  which  figures  in  the  guide- 
books, is  simply  an  insignificant  cleft  in  a  rock 
on  an  island  which  takes  its  name  from  a 
traditional  smuggler.  Balance  Rock  is  a 
huge  bowlder  upon  the  end  of  an  island.  It 
is  said  to  be  so  nicely  balanced  upon  its 
centre  that  it  can  be  moved  by  a  slight  touch. 
Memphremagog  must  rather  depend  ujion  the 
general  charm  of  mountain,  forest,  island,  and 
water,  than  upon  any  eccentric  curiosities.  It 
is  an  excellent  point  from  which  excursions 
may  be  made  into  the  interesting  country 
about  it.  Montreal  is  about  sixty  miles  away, 
and  may  be  reached  by  rail  from  Newport  at 
the  southern  end  of  the  lake,  or  from  Magog 
at  the  northern  end.  There  is  also  connection 
at  Magog  with   Sherbrooke,  and  thence  to 


MEMPHREMA  GOG.  ()5 

Quebec.  Stanstead,  one  of  tlie  most  enter- 
prising towns  in  Canada,  is  but  fourteen  miles 
away,  and  the  road  leads  over  some  of  the 
steepest  of  Canadian  hills.  There  are  a  dozen 
lakes  of  smaller  proportion  inviting  visits  from 
the  tourist  and  fisherman. 

The  most  direct  way  of  reaching  Memphre- 
magog  from  New  York  is  by  way  of  Spring- 
field, Massachusetts,  thence  north  to  Well's 
River  and  by  the  Passumpsic  road  to  New- 
port. From  Boston,  by  the  Boston,  Concord, 
and  Montreal  line.  By  this  route  the  day 
traveler  has  the  advantage  of  a  good  view  of 
Lake  Winnipesaukee.  The  Shaybacks  feel 
that  their  summer  trip  has  not  been  quite 
complete  unless  they  return  through  the  White 
Mountains,  to  enjoy  the  magnificent  scenery 
of  the  Notch. 


CHAPTER   V. 

A    FAMILY    CAMP. 

There  are  two  or  three  methods  of  camp- 
ing-out. One  of  them  is  known  as  "  rough- 
ing it."  It  represents  the  minimum  of  com- 
fort and  the  maximum  of  privation.  The 
writer  has  fully  tested  its  novelties,  exhila- 
rations, and  discomforts.  To  bivouac  under 
the  cotton-w^ood  trees  —  on  a  rapid  cavalry 
march,  with  a  McClellan  saddle  for  a  pillow, 
a  rubber  blanket  for  a  mattress,  an  overcoat 
for  a  bed  cover  —  is  a  luxurious  state  of  pri- 
vation, which  becomes  commonplace  only 
when  it  becomes  monotonous.  To  go  twenty- 
four  hours  without  water,  to  camp  where 
there  is  no  wood  to  cook  your  meals,  to  fill  a 
blank  in  one's  existence  for  several  days  with 
hardtack  and  bacon,  to  sleep  on  the  deck  of 
an  upper  Missouri  steamer  in  a  snow-storm. 


A   FAMILY  CAMP.  G7 

to  endure  peltlni^  rain  and  liowlino^  winds, 
have  become  familiar  experiences.  A  sini;-ii- 
lar  ambition  exists  among  amateur  campers 
to  emulate  these  distresses  of  the  professional. 
The  proud  heroism  of  the  boy-camper  exhib- 
its itself  in  an  utter  disdain  for  the  comforts 
which  are  within  his  reach.  The  fewer  con- 
veniences he  has  the  more  sublime  seems  his 
self-denial.  Only  when  his  abstinence  has 
risen  to  its  full  height  —  which  is  usually 
the  heio'ht  of  the  ridiculous  —  can  he  descend 
ag'ain  to  the  level  of  ordinary  nu)rtals.  The 
Shaybacks  have  long  since  passed  by  the 
heroic  stau'e  of  cami)  life.  Tliev  liave  disco v- 
ered  the  happy  medium  between  the  enervat- 
ing luxuries  of  a  highly-wrought  civilization 
and  the  rude  asperities  of  savage  life.  The 
sybaritic  camper  is  an  offense  to  them  on  the 
one  hand,  and  the  barbaric  camper  on  the 
other.  To  borrow  an  expression  in  use 
among  Western  campers,  which  indicates  the 
ideal  of  thorough  preparation,  the  Shaybacks 
always  go  ''  Avell-heeled."  Their  object  is  to 
get  the  most  comfort  consistent  with  the  most 


68  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAm\ 

freedom ;  to  get  the   most   healthful    enjoy- 
ment lit  the  cheapest  rates. 

Adam  was  the  first  eam2)er-out.  He  found, 
as  many  a  modern  camper  has  done,  that  it  is 
not  good  to  live  alone,  even  in  Eden.  The 
mere  du[)lication  of  nude  society  would  not 
remove  the  sense  of  want.  Eve  was  essential 
to  the  completeness  of  the  Edenic  camp.  It 
was  the  serpent  which  was  superfluous.  The 
Shayhacks  have  long  since  accepted  the  ideal 
of  Genesis.  They  have  chosen  an  Eden  for 
their  camp-ground,  and  have  always  main- 
tained that  every  Adamic  member  should  be 
neutralized  by  an  Eve.  Little  Cain  and  Abel 
are  taken  along  too,  on  condition  that  they 
will  not  club  each  other,  and  their  sisters 
accomj)any  them.  But  the  sinuous  serpent 
is  not  considered  an  element  of  felicity,  and 
when,  one  sunnner,  a  young  daughter  of  Eve 
in  our  camp  suddenly  found  a  serpent  in  her 
tent,  far  from  being  charmed  by  its  guileful 
persuasions,  she  seized  her  little  brother  in 
her  arms,  and,  though  barely  able  to  carry 
him,  heroically  removed  him  from  the  scene 


A   FAMILY  CAMP.  GO 

of  temptation,  and  summoned  the  destroying 


angel. 


It  was  written  in  the  hook  of  Bea-nininirs  to 
start  with,  and  the  Shaybaeks  write;  it  yearly 
in  the  book  of  Continuations,  that  the  best 
camp  is  the  family  camp.  A  purely  mascu- 
line camp  is  generally  like  its  camp -biscuit, 
an  over-done  or  half-baked  affair.  And  the 
purely  feminine  camp  is  a  concentration  of 
sweetmeats,  like  a  mince  pie  without  any 
crust.  A  judicious  proportion  of  children  is 
another  necessary  element.  A  camp  baby  is 
a  delightful  luxury,  but  it  should  be  past  the 
gristly  stage,  able  to  waddle  like  a  duck,  to 
talk  broken  English,  to  find  its  mouth  with  a 
spoon,  to  laugh  when  it  bruises  the  stones 
with  its  head,  to  serve  as  ballast  in  a  row- 
boat,  to  sport  like  a  little  nymph  at  its  daily 
bath,  and  to  sleep  twelve  hours  out  of  the 
twenty-four.  Such  a  little  joker  is  the  best 
camp  trump.  Little  Mattie,  but  eighteen 
months  old,  was  one  year  the  j oiliest  member 
of  Camp  Merriman,  and  completely  realized 
the  ideal  of  a  camp  baby. 


70  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

The  little  four-year-old  of  Fern  Point  is 
now  fourteen.  She  has  spent  a  month  of  the 
summer  in  this  way  for  the  last  ten  years.  I 
am  sure  there  would  be  a  miniature  salt  water 
lake  in  each  eye  if  told  that  she  must  spend 
the  next  summer  at  some  fashionable  hotel 
instead  of  in  her  tent  on  the  wooded  shores 
of  Memphremagog. 

There  are  inany  families  in  moderate  cir- 
cumstances Avho  are  puzzled  every  year  to 
know  how  to  spend  the  summer  vacation  to 
the  best  advantage.  Let  two  or  three  such 
families  join  together  and  camp  on  the  co(>p- 
erative  plan,  and,  if  properly  organized,  they 
will  be  loath  to  turn  again  to  the  tame  insi- 
pidity of  hotel  or  boarding-house  life.  All 
that  is  necessary  to  make  such  a  venture  suc- 
cessful is  the  faculty  of  knowing  how.  The 
Shaybacks  have  no  copyright  on  their  method, 
and  freely  offer  the  benefit  of  their  experi- 
ence. 

The  size  of  the  party  will  usually  vary  in 
inverse  proportion  to  the  square  of  the  dis- 
tance.    The   Shaybacks    have  found   that  a 


A   FAMILY  CAMP.  71 

party  of  a  dozen  is  larg-e  oiiougli,  tliougli 
they  have  never  entertained  a  superstition 
aj^ainst  sittinii'  down  to  a  table  of  thirteen. 
At  their  hist  year's  camp  the  dominant  num- 
ber was  sixteen.  Of  these  ei^ht  were  adults 
and  eiji'lit  children,  tlie  latter  ranoino-  in  acre 
from  six  to  fifteen,  and  symmetrically  divided 
into  four  bovs  and  four  o-ii-ls. 

In  the  next  place  the  Shaybacks  always 
have  a  definite  plan  to  begin  with.  An  in- 
dividual camper  may  start  off  without  know- 
ing where  he  is  going-  to  bring  up,  but,  for 
a  family  camp,  especially  when  children  are 
along,  it  is  important  to  have  the  destination 
fixed  with  as  much  definiteness  as  possible. 
Another  essential  for  a  good  family  camp  is 
that  it  slioul'^  be  a  permanent  one  for  the 
season.  With  i  party  of  tourists  there  is  a 
certain  novelty  in  adopting  the  nomadic  habit 
of  camping  in  a  new  place  every  night,  but 
this  generally  involves  too  much  labor,  and  is 
too  precarious  for  a  family  party.  If  a  good 
site  can  be  found  it  is  better  to  stick  to  it,  to 
make  it  as  comfortable  as  possible,  and  to  use 


72  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

it  as  the  point  from  wliicli  radiating  excur- 
sions can  be  made.  The  ShaybaclvS  once 
thought  it  desirable  to  have  a  new  camp 
every  summer,  and  many  campers  prefer  this 
plan.  But,  having  found  an  ideal  camping- 
ground  on  Memphremagog,  they  discovered 
that  a  certain  home  feeling  Avas  developed  the 
first  year,  that  it  grew  into  an  affectionate 
attachment  the  second  year,  and  that  each 
succeeding  experience  enhances  the  pleasure 
of  the  association. 

If  there  is  an  exhilarating  sense  of  novelty 
in  going  to  a  new  place  every  sunnner,  there 
is  a  kindly,  hoLielike  feeling  growing  from  as- 
sociations which  are  tenderly  familiar.  There 
is  only  one  thing  pleasanter  than  striking  new 
chords  of  emotion,  and  that  is  striking  those 
that  are  old.  There  are  many  places  that 
might  av»'aken  a  sense  of  novelty  and  whet  the 
edge  of  curiosity,  but  there  is  no  place  for  a 
summer  outiuGf  which  awakens  sunnier  emo- 
tions  in  the  Shaybacks  than  the  sleepy  little 
handet  near  which  they  camp.  Not  so  much 
for  the  little  village  itself,  as  for  the  inviting 


A   FAMILY  CAMP.  73 

and  boundless  contiguity  of  shade  that  Ues 
around  it,  and  the  mysterious  fascination  of 
the  waters  that  spread  out  before  it.  And 
with  the  touch  of  nature  there  is  a  pleasing 
touch  of  humanity.  The  old  stagers  are  on 
the  wharf  ;  for  they  knew  that  we  were 
coming.  Brawny  hands  are  extended,  and 
wrinkled  faces  smile  with  kindly  welcome. 

It  is  a  great  advantage  to  know  before  you 
set  out  on  your  trip  just  what  you  are  going 
to  have  when  you  reach  your  destination. 
When  a  new  camping-ground  is  to  be  found, 
unless  'he  locality  is  familiar,  a  scout  or  ex- 
plorer should  be  sent  in  advance  of  the  party, 
that  the  site  may  be  selected  and  transporta- 
tion secured.  Another  advantage  of  camp- 
ing two  or  three  years  in  or  near  the  same 
place  is  that  the  heaviest  and  bulkiest  of  the 
camp  kit  may  be  stored  somewhere  near  the 
grounds,  and  yearly  transportation  avoided. 
Those  who  adopt  the  nomadic  plan  of  camp- 
ing are  obliged  to  go  as  light  armed  as  pos- 
sible. The  writer  once  camped  for  four 
months  on  the  Plains,  making  a  new  camp 


74:  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

almost  every  night,  and  nearly  all  his  worldly 
goods,  except  the  clothes  he  had  on,  and  a 
few  little  conveniences  in  a  valise,  Vv'ere  packed 
in  an  oat-bag  or  rolled  up  in  his  blankets. 
Only  that  which  is  absolutely  essential  should 
be  taken  on  such  an  expedition.  The  writer 
remembers,  however,  that  although  officers 
and  men  were  limited  to  twenty-five  pounds 
of  baggage  each,  yet  one  zealous  lieutenant 
manajTfed  to  smuo-cvle  alono;  a  Webster's  Una- 
bridged  Dictionary.  Why  this  volume  was 
taken  out  on  a  campaign  against  the  Indians 
I  have  never  been  able  to  discover.  It  is  not 
a  convenient  missile  ;  the  Indians  are  opposed 
to  the  spelling  reform  on  principle ;  logoma- 
chy had  not  then  become  a  social  game.  In 
a  permanent  camp,  although  one  may  not  in- 
dulge in  such  '^  unabridged  "  luxuries,  a  v/ider 
range  of  comforts  is  permitted. 

"  Good   heavens  !  what  luo^o'a<re  !  "  said  a 

or?    o 

Canadian  woman,  as  she  saw  the  Shaybacks' 
effects  piled  up  on  the  landing.  It  was,  in- 
deed, a  motley  array  of  bedding,  boxes,  bags, 
and  bundles ;  such  as  one  may  see  at  Castle 


A   FAMILY  CAMP.  75 

Garden  with  a  party  o£  newly  arrived  emi- 
g-rants,  and  were  we  not  emigrants  on  Cana- 
dian soil  ?  It  is  not  a  well-ordered  barrel,  or 
a  symmetrical  box,  wliicli  awakens  susj)icions 
of  vagrancy.  It  is  the  roll  of  bedding  tied 
up  in  a  piece  of  old  carpet,  and  heavily 
corded,  the  oat-bag  filled  with  tent-pins,  or 
some  plethoric,  shapeless  bundle,  a  little  (Hit 
at  the  elbows,  which  creates  the  suspicion 
that  the  owner  has  just  graduated  from  the 
poor-house,  and  has  embarked  for  some  new 
domain  of  pauperism.  In  later  years  the 
Shaybacks,  to  save  transportation,  have 
adopted  the  plan  suggested  of  storing  most 
of  their  tents,  cooking  utensils,  and  camp-fix- 
tures in  the  little  villaoe  of  Georo'eville,  about 
a  mile  and  a  half  from  their  ca' up-ground. 
Notwithstanding  this  the  amount  of  personal 
material  to  be  transported  each  year  for  the 
party  of  twelve  is  considerable,  and  JNIr. 
Shayback  found,  last  sumnun-,  when  the  train 
moved  oil'  from  the  Lowell  depot,  that  he 
had  nineteen  brass  checks  in  his  ])ocket.  At 
this  number  the  supply  of  checks  gave  out, 


7G  THE  SII AY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

and  a  piece  of  chalk  was  used  for  the  rest  of 
the  bagi^age.  Other  important  articles  for 
the  camp  commissary  are  shipped  by  freig-lit 
a  few  days  in  advance  of  the  departure.  Ar- 
rivinj^  at  Newport,  Vermont,  these  various 
articles  are  collected  on  board  of  the  Lady 
of  the  Lake,  and,  after  a  night's  rest  at  the 
Memphremagog  House,  the  Shaybacks  steam 
for  Georgeville,  eighteen  miles  away.  Here 
the  articles  stored  are  o-athered  tooether  on  the 
wharf  —  and  a  formidable  pile  they  present. 
A  great  barge  or  scow,  like  a  Mississippi  flat- 
boat,  propelled  by  long  sweeps,  is  procured, 
and  all  the  things  are  piled  in  with  tumultu- 
ous disorder.  The  campers  gleefully  tumble 
in  also  to  fill  up  the  chinks.  The  roAv-boats 
are  taken  in  tow  behind,  and  the  great  barge 
moves  off  with  as  much  gravity  as  Noah's 
Ark,  which  it  greatly  resembles,  except  that 
it  has  not  a  house  on  top.  When  it  show- 
ers, therefore,  as  it  occasionally  does  just 
after  the  barge  is  pushed  off,  the  Noachians 
cover  themselves  with  waterproofs  and  tar- 
paulins and  hide  their  diminished  heads  under 


A    FAMILY  CAMP.  77 

the  protection  of  the  tents  whicli  are  spread 
over  the  chattels. 

Althongh  the  Shaybacks  come  from  a  for- 
ei<^n  conntry  there  are  no  commissioners  of 
emigration  to  set  a  i)rice  on  their  heads,  and 
the  only  formality  Avliich  marks  this  transit 
from  the  great  Republic  to  the  great  Domin- 
ion is  the  inspection  of  the  customs,  Avliich  Is 
more  a  matter  of  eticpiette  than  of  personal 
or  official  curiosity.  Noah's  ark  moves  slowly 
into  the  little  bay,  and  finally  grounds  its 
broad  prow  upon  the  sand.  A  census  taken 
on  the  spot  would  show  that  there  were  four 
families  and  a  baker's  dozen  of  souls  added 
to  the  population  of  Canada.  An  inventory 
of  the  cargo  in  the  barge,  as  declared  on  Mr. 
Sliayback's  manifesto,  reads  surprisingly  like 
one  of  Mr.  Walt  Whitman's  poems.  Six 
tents  :  one  9i-xG^  feet  ;  one  8^x9^-  ;  one 
12x18;  one  10x12.  These  serve  as  camp 
dormitories  ;  a  capacious  tent,  12  X  14,  is  used 
as  a  parlor  and  general  rendezvous,  a  small 
one,  7x7,  is  dedicated  to  the  kitchen,  and  a 
large  fly  set  out  in  the  grove  serves  as  a  din- 


78  THE  SHAYBACKS  LV  CAAfP. 

incr-i'oom  tent.  Four  fair-sizcMl  trunks  and 
six  valises  contain  articles  of  wearing'  aj)- 
parel.  For  the  ladies  there  are  short  llannel 
dresses  with  warm  jackets,  heavy  shav/ls, 
hroad-brinimed  hats,  rubber  circulars,  coats 
and  shoes,  bathing-dresses,  shoe-bags,  hoods, 
flannel  wrappers  to  sleep  in,  and  the  usual  as- 
sortment of  curling-sticks,  hair-pins,  mirrors, 
and  ribbons  which  make  up  essential  features 
of  a  lady's  outfit.  For  the  gentlemen  there 
are  overcoats,  both  woolen  and  rubber,  a  ju- 
dicious supply  of  underwear,  and  enough  old 
clothiu":  to  stock  a  Chatham  Street  dealer. 
Nothing  contributes  more  to  the  freedom  of 
camp  life  thari  to  be  clad  in  raiment  which  is 
beyond  redemption,  and  therefore  beyond  the 
possibility  of  spoiling.  At  the  close  of  the 
season  there  are  always  fishermen  who  can 
utilize  the  disreputable  vestiges  which  are 
left.  Furthermore,  there  are  huge  bundles 
of  blankets,  half  a  dozen  hammocks ;  an  axe, 
three  hatchets,  two  saws,  a  spade,  a  hammer, 
nails,  spikes,  screws,  gimlets,  a  brace  and  bits, 
a   full    set   of  tin    plates,  cups   and   saucers, 


A   FAMILY   CAMP.  79 

plated  knives,  forks,  and  spoons ;  empty  ticks 
for  l)eddln[»'  to  l)o  filled  with  straw  at  the 
barn  ;  two  barrels  of  pots  and  kettles,  three 
cots,  two  lanterns,  a  sup})ly  of  rope  of  vari- 
ous sizes,  kerosene  stoves,  oven,  double-boiler, 
and  tea-kettle,  a  barrel  of  kerosene  oil,  and, 
among  the  instruments  of  torture,  a  violin, 
flute,  and  cornet.  Many  of  these  elfects  rep- 
resent the  accumulation  of  several  years,  and 
illustrate  one  advantage  of  camping  in  the 
same  place. 

The  Shaybacks  always  make  liberal  provi- 
sion for  the  camp  cuisine.  The  fear  of  famine 
does  not  liaiuit  them.  The  packages  of  mer- 
chandise sent  by  freight  contain  a  supply  of 
provisions,  the  bill  of  which  lies  before  me, 
and  which  may  be  suggestive  to  other  excur- 
sionists. It  contains  such  items  as  tea,  coffee, 
canned  tongue,  dried  apples,  canned  pears, 
apricots,  cherries,  berries,  tomatoes,  peaches, 
raspberries,  pineapples,  sardines  ;  sugar,  oat- 
meal, rye,  graham  meal,  raisins,  prunes,  cur- 
rants, dates,  walnuts,  soap,  sai)olio,  barley, 
cracked  wheat,  tapioca,   rice,   saleratus,  isin- 


80  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

glass,  sea-mosSj  salt,  macaroni,  chocolate,  oil, 
olives,  candles,  yeast  i)o\vcler,  corn  starch, 
matches,  ginger  snaps,  oatnicjil  biscuit,  and 
pilot  bread.  The  quantities  of  those  articles 
are  judiciously  determined  by  the  size  of  the 
party  and  its  gastronomic  reputation.  Neces- 
saries not  included  in  this  invoice  can  usually 
be  found  in  the  vicinage  of  the  camp.  Here 
is  a  great  aquarium  thirty  miles  long  in  front 
of  the  tent  doors,  with  a  constant  supply  of 
perch,  and  a  somewhat  inconstant  supply  of 
lake  trout  and  other  fish.  The  butcher  from 
Stanstead  makes  a  bi-weekly  trip  to  George- 
ville,  bringing  good  beef  and  the  best  of 
Canadian  mutton.  Milk,  eggs,  butter,  pota- 
toes, and  other  vegetables  can  be  obtained  at 
the  farmhouse  less  than  half  a  mile  away. 
There  is  a  great  sugar  orchard  almost  within 
a  stone's  throw  from  the  camp,  and  our  sum- 
mer life  is  daily  sweetened  by  its  product. 
Sixteen  miles  east,  over  some  of  the  steepest 
hills  that  a  horse  ever  climbed,  there  is  an  old- 
fashioned  farmhouse.  With  telescopic  eyes 
the  inmates  see  the  Shay  backs  coming  weeks 


A    FAMILY  CAMP.  81 

ahead,  and  as  David,  in  IIel)raic  times,  car- 
ried parclied  coin,  loaves,  and  cheeses  to  his 
hrethren  in  camj),  so  Joseph  the  Mnscnlar  in- 
variably visits  his  Shaybaek  eonsins  with 
loaves  of  graham  bread,  a  bag  of  apples,  a 
can  of  maple  syrup,  a  mould  of  butter,  and 
numerous  other  goodies,  including  some  con- 
traband doughnuts  ripened  in  his  mother's 
kitchen. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

GETTING    SETTLED. 

A  GENEROUS  camp-larder  will  repair  a 
good  many  deficiencies,  but  it  will  not  atone 
for  a  poor  camp-site.  The  Shaybacks  think 
that  the  several  requisites  for  a  good  camp- 
ground were  realized  in  their  old  camp  at  Bed- 
room Point,  and  their  new  one  on  Bigelow's 
Bay,  which  they  call  the  "  Camp  by  the  cliff." 
At  the  former,  the  tents  were  placed  in  the 
bottom  of  a  U-shaped  wall  of  cedar  and 
hemlock,  which  protected  them  from  north- 
erly and  southerly  winds,  and  left  a  beautiful 
vista  opening  upon  the  water.  A  pleasant  lit- 
tle cove,  with  sloping,  sandy  beach,  made  an 
excellent  place  for  bathing ;  but  the  principal 
charm  of  the  spot  was  the  shady  peninsula, 
running  out  into  the  lake,  where  the  Shay- 
backs might  swing  in  their  hammocks,  catch 


GETTING  SETTLED.  83 

the  soft  summer  breezes,  and  watch  the  clouds 
that  float  over  the  head  of  Orford.     When 
the  farm  upon  which  they  had  camped  for  five 
years  finally  changed  hands,  and  the  shore- 
front  was  put  to  other  uses,  the  Shaybacks 
had  to  move  but  half  a  mile  to  find  another 
site,  lacking  some  of   the  characteristic  fea- 
tures of  the  first  one,  but  possessing  compen- 
sating advantages.     The  beach  was   not   so 
smooth  or   sandy,  but  the  spring  was  more 
convenient.     We    missed   the   point  for  our 
hammocks,    but    a    great,   towering,    forest- 
crowned  cliff  reared  its  battlements   against 
the    northwest    wind.      And    there    was    a 
grassy,    open   park,   so  well   protected  by  a 
thick   wall   of    trees,   that    no   rude   storm, 
however  violent,  could   disturb   the   trustful 
composure   of    our    tents.       We   were    also 
nearer  to  Georgeville,  and  nearer  to  Farmer 
Bigelow's  milk  fountains,  that  irrigated  our 
oatmeal  pudding  every  morning,  and  diluted 
our    chocolate    at    night.       The    Shaybacks 
vote  unanimously  that  never  have  they  had  a 
more  perfect   camp-site   than   the   one  thus 
chosen  and  annually  reoccupied. 


84  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

The  shores  of  the  lake  abound  with  drift- 
wood, and  the  groves  contain  an  abundance 
of  dried  cones  and  dead  limbs,  which  furnish 
fagot  -  gatherers  with  a  plentiful  harvest. 
Only  one  who  has  camped  upon  the  Plains, 
without  a  stick  of  wood  or  even  a  buffalo 
chip  to  cook  a  meal,  can  appreciate  the  lux- 
ury of  camping  where  wood  seems  to  be  as 
abundant  as  earth  or  water.  In  the  imme- 
diate vicinity  of  the  camp-ground  there  are 
no  less  than  twelve  varieties  of  trees.  Cedar, 
birch,  hemlock,  maple,  and  spruce  abound, 
some  of  which  fill  an  important  part  in  the 
constructive  processes  of  camp  life.  The 
water  of  the  lake  is  soft  and  pure,  excellent 
for  cooking  and  washing.  The  little  babbling 
brook  which  sings  in  the  storm  and  is  quiet  in 
the  sunshine,  and  the  clear,  cold  spring  within 
a  few  feet  of  the  kitchen  tent,  furnish  a  con- 
stant supply  of  ice-cold  water  on  draught. 

The  habitual  camper  soon  becomes,  by 
education,  a  very  fair  topographical  engineer. 
He  knows  a  good  camp-ground  when  he  sees 
it.     He   must   have   an   eye  for  a  beautiful 


GETTING  SETTLED.  85 

situation,  but,  remembering  the  inexorable 
round  of  camp  duty,  he  will  not  overlook  con- 
siderations of  practical  convenience.  It  takes 
the  pilgrim  Shaybacks,  after  they  have  landed 
with  the  heterogeneous  baggage,  but  a  short 
time  to  determine  where  their  tents  shall  be 
placed.  The  ladies  have  the  first  choice,  and 
invariably  display  a  remarkable  intelligence 
in  making  it.  The  slope  of  the  ground,  the 
outlook,  convenience  to  the  kitchen  and  the 
shore,  relations  to  the  picturesque  and  the 
symmetrical,  as  well  as  the  important  ques- 
tion of  adequate  shelter,  —  all  assist  in  deter- 
mining the  location  of  the  tents.  Military 
regularity  is  not  required.  The  kitchen  tent 
is  not  far  from  the  shore,  and  the  dining 
tent  not  far  from  the  kitchen.  Having  once 
had  to  make  a  round  trip  of  half  a  mile  for 
every  pail  of  fresh  water,  when  camping  on 
the  Penobscot,  Mr.  Shayback  recognizes  the 
advantages  of  having  the  camp-fire  near  a 
good  supply  of  water. 

These    canvas   houses   are   to  be  the   pil- 
grims*   shelter   for   four  weeks  ;  it  is  worth 


86  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

while,  therefore,  to  put  them  up  properly  to 
begin  with.  It  speaks  well  for  the  engineer- 
ing operations  of  the  Shaybacks  that  in  the 
course  of  ten  years'  camping  they  have 
never  had  a  tent  blown  down.  There  have 
been  times  when  such  an  exigency  has  seemed 
very  probable.  Against  a  north  or  south 
wind  Camp  Merriman  was  well  protected ;  but 
when  a  tornado  west  by  south  swept  over  the 
lake,  rolling  great  billows  on  the  shore,  and 
roaring  through  the  trees  like  a  legion  of 
demons,  the  tent-poles  bent  and  swayed ; 
there  was  an  immense  flapping  of  canvas,  and 
on  two  occasions  the  whole  camp  sallied  forth 
from  their  tents  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing, to  witness  the  grandeur  of  the  storm, 
and  to  hang  on  for  a  time  to  the  guy-ropes. 
Eternal  vigilance  is  the  price  of  an  upright 
tent.  Every  night  before  going  to  bed  it  is 
important  to  heed  the  injunction  of  Isaiah,  to 
"  lengthen  thy  cords  and  strengthen  thy 
stakes."  Mr.  Shayback  never  retires  for  the 
night  without  a  lantern,  an  axe,  and  a  sledge- 
hammer within  easy  reach  in   case  of  need, 


GETTING  SETTLED.  87 

and  it  not  infrequently  happens  that  he  is 
obliged  to  go  forth  at  midnight,  in  undress 
uniform,  to  pound  some  recreant  tent-pin  or 
tighten  a  loose  fly.  In  their  first  camp  on 
the  Penobscot  the  ladies  who  occupied  a  tent 
adjacent  to  Mr.  Shayback's  thought  it  a 
necessary  precaution  at  night  to  have  a  rope 
pass  underneath  the  tents,  one  end  of  which 
lay  within  their  reach,  the  other  being  at- 
tached to  Mr.  Shayback's  arm.  Necessity 
never  required  the  use  of  this  danger  signal, 
but  attempts  were  made  on  more  than  one  oc- 
casion to  haul  Mr.  ShaybiLii:  from  under  the 
canvas  by  means  of  it.  The  amount  of  gig- 
gling heard  in  the  next  tent  showed  that  the 
motive  was  certainly  not  alarm. 

Each  tent  is  provided  with  a  fly,  which 
furnishes  a  second  roof,  keeps  off  rain,  and 
renders  it  cooler.  To  keep  out  dampness  the 
tents  are  all  floored.  Lumber  for  this  pur- 
pose is  stored  from  year  to  year  in  the  barn 
at  the  farmhouse,  and  when  a  new  supply  is 
needed  it  is  brought  on  the  Lady  from  New- 
port, or  by  wagon  from   Fitch   Bay.     The 


88  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

ten  tents,  the  number  in  their  last  camp,  are 
put  up  in  a  remarkably  short  time.  In  the 
work  of  settling  there  are  no  spectators. 
Every  one  takes  hold.  The  first  day  is 
usually  a  hard  one.  The  muscles  are  unused 
to  exertion,  but  they  are  quickened  by  an  ac- 
tive and  unflagging  enthusiasm.  In  the  work 
of  flooring  the  tents  the  mechanical  capa- 
bilities of  women  are  beautifully  illustrated. 
Mrs.  Shayback  and  Arline  established  on  the 
Penobscot  the  precedent  of  cutting,  fitting, 
and  laying  down  their  own  tent-floors.  They 
and  their  associates  have  ever  since  kept  up 
this  practice.  Owing  to  the  inequalities  of 
the  ground  it  is  not  always  an  easy  matter  to 
lay  a  level  floor,  but  there  are  plenty  of  stones 
to  shore  them  up,  and  it  is  only  by  some 
special  grace  of  feminine  resignation  that  the 
male  members  are  permitted  to  carry  them. 
The  facility  with  which  Mrs.  Shayback  will 
use  a  saw  and  hammer,  a  screw-driver,  a 
brace  and  bit,  and  other  useful  tools,  is  only 
equaled  by  the  ease  and  promptness  with 
which  she  can  get  a  meal  for  a  dozen  hungry 
campers. 


GETTING  SETTLED.  89 

Ticks  for  bedding  are  filled  with  straw  at 
the  farmhouse.  Some  of  the  campers  use 
cots.  Those  who  wish  a  luxurious  couch 
make  a  box  six  feet  long  and  about  four  feet 
wide  ;  this  is  filled  with  hemlock  boughs,  and 
the  well-filled  tick  is  laid  upon  it. 

On  the  second  day  a  large  dining-tent 
table  is  built,  either  under  the  shade  of  the 
trees  in  the  grove,  or  under  a  tent-fly.  Skids 
are  made  to  draw  up  the  boats ;  a  spigot  is 
put  in  the  kerosene  oil  barrel ;  the  hammocks 
are  put  up ;  fish-lines  rigged ;  and  various 
shelves  and  tables  are  made  around  the 
kitchen  tent,  usually  by  Calvin  or  Mrs.  Shay- 
back.  The  camp-ground  is  then  cleaned  up. 
The  lumber  left  over  is  piled  neatly  up  behind 
the  tents.  Hardly  a  day  passes  but  a  piece 
of  it  is  wanted  for  some  new  purpose.  The 
ladies  take  much  pride  in  the  decoration  and 
arrangement  of  the  interior  of  their  tents. 
They  are  cozy  and  comfortable.  It  w^ould 
not  be  difficult  for  the  casual  observer  to  tell 
the  sex  of  the  occupants  from  the  taste  dis- 
played in  ornamenting  them. 


90  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

It  takes  two  days  to  get  well  settled,  and 
then  Mr.  Shayback,  and  his  male  associates 
apply  themselves  with  intelligence  and  I'^or 
to  the  construction  of  the  camp  wharf.  The 
trees  are  cut  in  the  forest  and  sawed  to  the 
desired  length  of  piles.  A  calm  day  is  chosen 
for  the  work  in  the  water.  Clad  in  his  bath- 
ing suit,  Mr.  Shayback  with  a  huge  mallet 
drives  the  piles  into  the  yielding  sand. 
Stringers  of  cedar  are  placed  upon  them  with 
cross-pieces,  and  over  these  boards  are  nailed. 
The  little  wharf  when  made  is  found  to  pay 
for  the  labor  in  saving  boats  from  wear  and 
their  occupants  from  wet  feet. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

CAMP    OCCUPATIONS. 

"  But  how  do  you  spend  your  time  after 
you  are  settled  ?  "  is  the  question  whieh  the 
pilgrims  are  often  asked. 

In  reply  we  may  say  that  time  is  shorter 
at  Memphremagog  than  at  any  other  place. 
Enmd  is  unheard  of.  The  order  of  daily 
life  among  these  settlers  is  very  simple. 
Some  of  them  are  stirring  about  half-past 
five  in  the  morning.  Occasionally  a  woman's 
head  may  be  seen  at  this  hour  thrust  out  of 
the  tent  door,  with  the  flaps  drawn  tightly 
around  her  neck,  scanning  the  clouds  to  see 
what  the  weather  is  to  be.  Mr.  Ganzbach 
fills  the  kerosene  stove  in  the  kitchen  tent, 
gathers  twigs  for  a  camp-fire  out  of  doors, 
puts  on  water  to  boil,  and  chops  wood. 
Water  must  be   drawn   from   the  lake  for 


92  THE  SII AY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

cooking  purposes.  The  milk  is  brought  by 
Lisel  from  the  farmhouse.  Mr.  Ganzbacli 
is  the  presiding'  genius  of  the  kerosene  bar- 
rel, and,  like  a  wise  virgin,  always  fills  the 
lanterns  in  the  morning  before  breakfast. 
Mrs.  Shayback  is  the  chief  cook.  ^Irs.  Ganz- 
bacli assists  her.  Mrs.  Gingwerth,  Hosanna, 
and  Arline  set  the  table  by  turns. 

Breakfast  reigns  about  half-past  seven,  and 
generally  consists  of  rye  or  oatmeal  pudding, 
bread,  butter,  milk,  cream,  potatoes,  fish,  meat, 
or  omelet,  apple-sauce,  oatmeal,  crackers,  and 
pilot  bread,  all  eaten  from  bright  tin-ware. 

First  that  which  is  physical,  afterward  that 
which  is  spiritual.  Accordingly,  we  sing  a 
hymn  after  breakfast,  read  a  psalm,  and  re- 
cite together  the  Lord's  Prayer.  It  helps  us 
to  resist  the  common  tendency  of  camp  life 
to  revert  to  primitive  barbarism. 

Breakfast  over,  the  dish  call  is  sounded. 
Mrs.  Gingwerth  presides  with  grace  and  ease 
at  the  dish-washing.  The  children  take  turns 
at  the  wiping.  Many  hands  make  light  work, 
and  the  men  frequently  furnish  a  pair  for 


CAMP   OCCUPATIONS.  03 

this  purpose.  The  hidles  then  make  their 
heds  and  put  their  tents  in  order.  The  gen- 
tlemen defer  this  duty  as  h)no;  as  i)()ssil)le, 
arffuiu":  that  it  is  mueh  better  to  let  the  beds 
air  until  late  in  the  afternoon.  As  a  eonse- 
quence  of  holdinj^  sueh  theories  —  the  theory 
being  founded  on  the  praetice,  not  tlio  prae- 
tice  on  the  theory  —  they  f recpiently  sulf er 
the  inealculable  shame  and  remorse  of  find- 
ing at  night  that  the  ladies  have  made  up 
their  beds  for  them.  I  notiee  that,  in  spite 
of  a  troubled  conseience,  they  generally  sleep 
better  on  such  nights  than  when  they  make 
their  beds  themselves.  The  punishment  they 
receive  is  not  calculated  to  cure  the  evil. 

After  breakfast  a  trip  is  usually  made  to 
Georgeville  for  the  mail,  and  to  get  any 
necessary  addition  to  the  stores,  whether  it 
be  a  pound  of  lead  for  a  sinker,  a  dozen 
eggs,  or  the  meat  which  the  butcher  leaves 
twice  a  week.  The  duties  of  the  camp  are 
considered  to  be  synonymous  with  its  recrea- 
tions. This  may  not  be  always  the  case,  but 
it  is  pleasing  to  look  at  it  in  that  way.     It 


94  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

is  difficult  to  say  under  which  classification 
fishing  would  sometimes  come,  but  this  forms 
an  important  part  of  camp  occupation. 

At  noon  occurs  the  daily  bathing-  carniv^al. 
The  water  is  delightful,  cool  enough  to  be 
bracing  without  chilling.  The  children  take 
lessons  in  swimming,  the  sandy  beach  with 
its  gradual  descent  furnishing  a  safe  place 
for  this  purpose.  One  of  the  advantages  of 
fresh-water  camping  is  that  the  tide  is  always 
high,  which  permits  a  bath  at  a  regular  hour 
each  day. 

Dinner  follows  an  hour  after  bathing. 
The  bill  of  fare  reveals  a  wholesome  and 
pleasing  variety.  But  a  camp  dinner  to  be 
appreciated  must  be  eaten  with  a  camp  appe- 
tite. When  this  is  sharpened  to  its  proper 
edoe  it  cuts  a  beautiful  swath  through  the 
well-spread  table.  Camp  cookery  has  been 
reduced  to  a  science.  The  kerosene  stove  is 
much  prized,  and  is  supplemented  by  a  com- 
plete boiling,  baking,  and  steaming  appara- 
tus. The  kitchen  is  as  well  appointed  as  one 
could  desire,  and  its  administration  is  as  thor- 


CAMP   OCCUPATIONS.  95 

ouffh  as  could  be  conceived.  This  branch  of 
camp  life  the  women  insist  on  keeping'  in 
their  own  hands,  and  tlie  men  wisely  let 
them.  A  few  years  ago  a  former  editor  of 
the  "  Christian  Union,"  who  frequently  exer- 
cised his  literary  gift  under  the  shade  of  a 
tree  near  the  camp-fire,  was  allowed,  as  a 
mark  of  distinguished  consideration,  to  watch 
the  potatoes  as  they  boiled  at  the  hour  of 
noon.  His  discovery  that  very  good  charcoal 
could  be  made  by  letting  all  the  water  evapo- 
rate has  somewhat  blackened  his  reputation 
as  a  cook,  and  his  example  is  held  up  as  an 
awful  warning  to  all  who  accept  such  respon- 
sible trusts.  The  remarkable  success  of  the 
cooking  department  has  inspired  such  awe 
among  the  male  members  of  the  colony  that 
they  look  upon  the  camp  kitchen  and  its  hu- 
mane divinities  with  an  awe  akin  to  rever- 
ence ;  and  if  they  were  to  fall  into  idolatry 
while  in  camp,  we  fear  it  would  be  that  gas- 
tric idolatry  which  Paul  repudiated. 

A  portion  of  the  afternoon  is  spent,  per- 
haps, in  the  hammock  in  the  hush  of  slumber 


96  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

with  which  the  brain  acquiesces  in  a  good 
digestion.  But  it  would  be  a  very  strange 
day,  morning  or  afternoon,  which  did  not 
find  some  of  the  boats  in  active  use  on  the 
varied  waters  of  the  lake.  Some  of  the  camp 
members  —  Mr.  Shayback  and  Mr.  Pod  are 
examples  —  spend  much  more  time  on  water 
than  they  do  on  land.  The  navy  consists 
of  five  boats,  —  the  Garfield,  the  Hippo- 
grif,  the  Jeanie  Deans,  the  Lassie,  and  the 
Achilles,  named  in  honor  of  its  builder,  pre- 
sumably a  descendant  from  the  Homeric  hero, 
who  has  put  off  his  ancient  armor,  laid  down 
his  pictured  shield,  and  is  now  the  best  boat- 
builder  on  the  lake.  The  five  boats  carry 
the  entire  camp  party  when  necessary.  The 
children  are  allowed  the  use  of  the  boats 
within  the  limits  of  the  bay,  the  only  restric- 
tion being  that  they  shall  not  go  out  in  them 
unless  there  is  one  boat  with  oars  left  at 
the  beach.  A  very  ordinary  day's  work  at 
the  oars  for  the  men  is  eight  or  ten  miles. 
Mr.  Shayback  has  rowed  twenty  and  Mr. 
Pod  twenty-two.     That  gentleman,  rejo'  'ng 


CAMP   OCCUPATIONS.  97 

in  the  possession  of  a  new  boat,  rowed  the 
length  of  the  lake  from  Magog  to  Newport 
(thirty  miles)  within  twenty-four  hours.  In 
six  days  he  has  rowed  one  hundred  miles. 
JMr.  Shayback  finds  employment  for  a  large 
portion  of  his  time  in  fishing  for  lunge  or 
lake  trout.  In  this  enterprise  he  is  heroi- 
cally seconded  by  Mrs.  Gingwerth.  Any  at- 
tack upon  the  vocation  of  the  fisherman  Mr. 
Shayback  considers  an  assault  u2)on  the  ori- 
gin of  Christianity.  James  and  John,  Peter 
and  Andrew,  and  even  Jesus  himself,  en- 
gaged in  fishing  enterprises.  If  we  may  ap- 
peal to  ecclesiastical  tradition  there  seems  no 
more  appropriate  occupation  for  a  minister 
than  this.  The  fish  has  played  an  important 
part  in  the  symbolism  of  the  Church.  But 
Mr.  Shayback  values  it  simply  because  it  is 
good  to  eat.  All  wanton  destruction  of  ani- 
mals or  insects  is  forbidden  by  camp  usage. 
Chipmunks,  scpiirrels,  field-mice,  moles,  spi- 
ders, crickets,  centipedes,  share  the  hospital- 
ity of  the  camp  without  molestation.  But  a 
good  mess  of  perch  or  an  eight-pound  lunge 


98  THE  S HAYRACKS  IN  CAMP. 

makes  a  very  good  substitute  for  a  meat  diu^ 
ner,  and  liglitens  the  expense  bill.  The  perch 
are  caught  with  angle-worms  or  surface  troll- 
ing ;  the  lunge  by  deep  trolling,  which  is  de- 
scribed in  a  subsequent  chapter. 

As  for  the  youngsters,  it  woukl  require  a 
volume  amply  illustrated  to  give  an  indication 
of  the  extent  of  their  daily  activities.  They 
paddle  about  in  the  cove  with  the  boats, 
within  boundaries  agreed  upon  in  a  treaty  of 
peace  with  their  guardians.  They  fish  at 
anchor  or  troll  near  the  shores  for  perch,  or 
build  rafts  furnished  with  paddle-wheels. 
They  tumble  about  like  dolphins  at  their 
daily  bath,  and  rend  the  air  with  screar  s  and 
laughter.  They  discover  delightful  little 
summer  houses  in  the  maple  grove,  or  play 
house,  or  have  a  grand  Indian  hunt.  They 
ride  the  horses  in  the  pasture,  find  great  sat- 
isfaction in  the  kittens  lent  from  the  farm- 
house, or  watch  with  rapt  attention  Dio's 
magic  pencil.  The  day  does  not  seem  quite 
finished  for  the  children,  if  they  do  not 
gather  in  a  tent  by  themselves  and  listen  to 


CAMP   OCCUPATIONS.  99 

Dio's  story  of  Mr.  Pumpkin-seed,  wliicli  serial 
is  not  finished  until  the  camp  itself  is  con- 
cluded. 

The  daily  routine  of  camp  life  is  varied  by 
occasional  excursions  to  new  regrions.  Some- 
times  the  Shaybacks  hire  a  team  and  make  a 
raid  upon  the  enterprising  town  of  Stanstead, 
never  forgetting  to  visit  the  old  farmhouse 
on  the  hill  that  overlooks  the  plain.  A  fam- 
ily ticket  on  the  Lady  furnishes  the  whole 
party  a  trip  to  Newport  or  Magog  when  they 
desire  it,  and  there  is  the  great  puffing,  asth- 
matic, lumbering  Memphremagog,  which 
crosses  the  lake  once  or  twice  a  day  from 
Georgeville,  when  it  is  not  tempted  elsewhere 
by  more  lucrative  business.  Directly  facing 
the  camp,  on  the  opposite  shore  of  the  lake, 
is  a  bold  promontory  known  as  Gibraltar. 
Some  ten  or  more  years  ago  a  company  of 
capitalists  from  ^Montreal  conceived  the  idea 
of  building  a  large  hotel  on  this  point,  in 
hopes  that  it  would  attract  tourists  from 
Montreal.  T:veai'v  or  thirty  ,8mJ.ill  cotta<]^es 
were  erected  in  the  iniiiiedii/tM  .yiciziitv  of  the 


100  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

hotel.  The  hotel  was  lathed,  when  the  com- 
pany burst  like  a  huhhle.  The  house  and 
grounds  were  afterwards  sold  at  a  great  sac- 
rifice. The  buildinGf  with  its  shininfr  tower 
still  adorns  the  cliff,  and  once  or  twice  a  year 
the  pilgrims  make  a  trij)  to  the  site  of  its 
desolation. 

The  ascent  of  Owl's  Head  is  usually  made 
by  some  of  the  party  once  a  year.  That 
broad,  magnificent  view  cannot  be  easily  put 
into  the  narrow  pages  of  a  book.  The  beau- 
tiful breeze-wrinkled  lake  lies  at  the  foot  of 
the  mountain.  Twelve  miles  away,  Newport, 
at  its  head  ;  eighteen  miles  to  the  north, 
Magog,  at  its  foot.  Here  and  there,  islands 
break  the  continuity  of  the  silver  sheet,  and 
forest-crowned  bluffs  and  peninsulas  thrust 
their  feet  into  the  waters.  On  the  east  side, 
the  view  is  unbroken  by  mountains  save  those 
Avrapped  in  a  blue  haze  in  the  distant  circle 
of  the  horizon.  There  lies  Fitch  Bay,  look- 
mo;  like  a  little  lake  itself,  the  observer  hardlv 
suspecting  tht3  nari'bw  arm  ^liibh  joins  it  to 
MemplircVaagog.      Fa't  'away   to   the    north- 


CAMP  OCCUPATIONS.  101 

east,  almost  hidden  in  Canadian  forests,  one 
catches  a  gHmpse  of  Massawippi.  On  the 
west  side  lies  Brome  Lake,  between  the  Bol- 
ton Hills  and  Sugar  Loaf  Pond,  serving  as  a 
basin  for  Elephantis,  whose  enormous  head 
and  ponderous  trunk  are  stretched  out  before 
us.  Away  to  the  north  rises  bald-headed 
Orford,  to  which  Owl's  Head  must  yield  the 
palm  of  altitude.  On  the  waters,  the  Lady 
seems  like  a  toy  boat,  and  the  skiffs  of  the 
fishermen  like  peanut  shells.  Vast  argosies 
of  clouds  enrich  the  scenery  of  the  sky. 

A  trip  to  Mount  Orford  is  another  temp- 
tation to  which  the  campers  less  frequently 
yield. 

In  August  or  September,  when  the  Shay- 
backs  camj),  the  sun  sets  before  seven  o'clock. 
The  boats  are  drawn  up  and  fastened  for  the 
night,  the  lamps  lighted  in  the  tents,  the 
children  are  put  to  bed.  An  hour  is  devoted 
to  games  or  reading,  and  generally  by  half- 
past  eight,  seldom  later  than  nine,  the  Shay- 
backs  have  retired  to  that  measure  of  rest 
which  tired  muscles  and  a  good  conscience 
afford. 


102  THE  SII AY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

On  Sunday,  service  is  regularly  held  at 
eleven  o'clock  in  tlie  grove,  if  the  weather 
permits.  If  not,  it  is  held  in  one  of  the 
large  tents.  The  camp  has  never  heen  Avith- 
out  the  presence  of  one  clergyman,  and  gen- 
erally it  has  two.  When  these  gentlemen 
cannot  sufficiently  overcome  their  native 
modesty  to  read  one  of  their  own  productions, 
the  camp  sermon-barrel,  in  which  Phillips 
Brooks,  Robertson,  Channing,  and  others  have 
been  salted  down,  is  drawn  upon  for  the  oc- 
casion. A  few  of  the  villagers  usually  grace 
the  occasion  with  their  presence. 

No  priest  could  ask  a  finer  temple  than 
that  which  God  has  built  for  us. 

"  The  blue  sky  is  the  temple's  arch, 
Its  transept  earth  and  air  ; 
The  music  of  its  starry  march 
The  chorus  of  a  prayer. 

"  The  green  earth  sends  her  incense  up 
.  From  many  a  mountain  shrine  ; 

From  folded  leaf  and  dewy  cup 
She  pom's  her  sacred  wine." 

"  Oh,  sing   unto   the   Lord   a   new  song ; 


CAMP  OCCUPATIONS.  103 

sing  unto  the  Lord,  all  the  earth !  "  said  the 
Psahnist ;  yet  these  hills  and  mountains  had 
heen  sinoino^  to  the  Lord  ajjes  hefore  the 
Psalmist  wrote  his  exhortation.  And  they 
are  still  praisinj^  Him.  David  is  gone,  and 
the  language  he  spoke  no  longer  lives  and 
hreathes.  But  the  hills  and  mountains  here 
still  sing  their  hymn  o£  beauty  and  sul)limity  ; 
still  hold  the  lake  like  a  cup  in  the  hollow  of 
their  hand  in  thankful  recognition  of  Him 
who  "  sendeth  the  springs  into  the  valleys 
which  run  among  the  hills."  Oh,  the  rest, 
and  reverence,  and  love  which  seem  to  lie  at 
the  heart  of  Nature  in  her  most  peaceful 
moods !  And  when  the  storm  comes,  as 
sometimes  it  does,  and  the  lake  is  torn  into 
shreds  of  vapory  fury ;  when  the  lightning 
whirls  its  fiery  sword,  and  the  thunder  would 
seem  to  crack  the  very  hills,  — there  is  no 
profanity  in  that  storm,  no  irreverence  in  the 
voice  of  the  wind  or  the  rhythmic  beat  of  the 
waves.  It  is  the  same  psalm .  "  The  Lord 
reigneth ;  let  the  earth  rejoice."  *'  The 
earth  is  the  Lord's  and  the  fullness  thereof : 


104  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

the  workl  and  they  that  dwell  therein  ;  for  He 
hath  fonnded  it  upon  the  seas  and  estab- 
lished it  upon  the  floods." 

The  hills  are  full  of  echoes.  We  have 
tried  them  with  voice  and  trumpet ;  they  do 
not  fail  us.  But  we  know  also  that  they  are 
full  of  echoes  for  the  mind  and  heart.  They 
respond  to  the  reverence,  trust,  and  praise 
which  the  soul  sings  to  them. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

THE    CAMP    KITCHEN. 

"But  who  does  the  cookiiijj?"  is  the 
question  perpetually  asked  of  the  Shayhaeks. 
In  a  general  way  it  may  be  answered  that  It 
docs  ifsclj]  but  that  reply  does  not  satisfy 
feminine  curiosity,  and  unless  the  prosaic 
details  are  given  the  skeptics  will  never  be 
convinced  that  one  of  the  pleasantest  ways  to 
spend  a  vacation  is  to  go  into  the  woods  and 
cook  for  ten  or  a  dozen  people  for  a  month. 

Coiiperation  being  the  basis  on  which  the 
Shayhaeks  have  conducted  all  camp  opera- 
tions, that  feature  is  naturally  carried  into  the 
culinary  department.  Servants  are  regarded 
by  them  as  a  necessary  evil  of  city  life.  The 
presence,  therefore,  of  any  person  who  is  in 
any  sense  considered  an  inferior  has  never 
been    tolerated    in    this    little    republic    o£ 


lOG  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

campers.  An  equal  division  of  hibor  so  rc- 
diiees  the  amount  expected  from  each  indi- 
vidual member  that  it  is  really  no  more  than 
is  pleasant  in  the  way  of  exercise.  And  if 
the  merry-midvini^s  at  disli-washing'  and  wip- 
ing, the  delightful  (tfc-a-(cf(s  over  whipping 
cream  or  beating  eggs,  or  even  the  friendly 
arguments  at  fish-skinning  down  on  the 
beach,  were  to  be  dropped  out  of  the  day's 
doings,  there  is  no  book,  no  hammock,  which 
might  otherwise  be  enjoyed  for  an  extra  hour, 
that  could  replace  them. 

The  cooking  tent  is  only  7x7,  in  the 
centre  of  which  Mrs.  Shayback  sits  on  a  tin 
cracker-box.  From  this  modest  throne  she 
can  reach  any  dish  in  her  buffet  on  one  side 
(which,  as  in  early  days,  is  built  up  of  canned 
goods  and  ends  of  boards),  her  box  of  stores 
on  the  other,  and  her  cooking  range  in  the 
rear ;  while  the  front  of  the  tent  is  usually 
occupied  by  Mv.  Pod,  who  sits  on  the  low 
step  made  by  the  raised  floor,  picking  over 
raisins  and  discussing  Dante,  or  by  Calvin 
opening  a  bottle  of  salad  oil,  or  Mrs.  Ganz- 


THE   CAMP  KirniEN.  107 

bach  beatlni;'  o^^^.  If  it  Is  mornlnir,  and 
eliilly,  one  or  two  chiltlivn  may  be  allowed  in- 
side to  warm  their  lingers  over  the  glowing 
stoves.  The  tiny  stove  of  the  far-oif  camping 
time  at  Fern  Point,  so  small  that  it  "could  go 
under  a  silk  liat,"  is  replaced  by  two  three- 
burner  kerosene  stoves,  over  "which  a  fabulous 
amount  of  work  may  be  accomplished  without 
any  exertion.  But  for  so  largo  a  family  it  is 
often  necessary,  and  always  cheerful,  to  have 
a  supplementary  out-door  fire.  The  genius 
of  Calvin  supplied  this  in  Ihe  form  of  an  im- 
mense flat  stone  placed  on  three  stakes  driven 
firmly  into  the  ground,  on  which  rests  a 
galvanized  iron  "  wind-shield "  that  came 
originally  to  be  used  with  the  kerosene  stove. 
Here  dish-water  is  heated  and  potatoes  are 
boiled,  and  over  the  glowing  coals  such  toast 
is  made  as  never  a  hotel  with  walls  could 
furnish. 

All  kitchen  as  well  as  table  ware  is  tin, 
the  brightest  and  best,  save  one  stoneware 
dish  for  stewed  fruit.  Silver-plated  knives, 
forks,  and  spoons  a ^9  used  on  the  table,  but 


108  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

the  kitchen  tent  boasts  a  steel  knife  that  has 
been  to  India  and  back,  and  a  fork  with  two 
tines  that  has  served  its  day  and  generation 
for  a  hundred  years. 

"  Eat  from  tin !  I  coukl  never  do  that,"  is 
a  not  infrequent  exclamation  of  people  who 
are  ignorant  of  the  joys  of  camp  life.  It 
would  be  hard  to  find  any  one  who  likes 
dainty  linen  and  delicate  china,  at  home, 
better  than  our  campers,  but  at  the  same  time 
they  think  that  there  is  nothing  like  tin  for 
the  woods.  It  is  compact,  takes  little  room, 
is  easily  washed  and  wiped,  never  breaks,  and 
the  fact  that  one  never  eats  from  it  at  home 
gives  the  element  of  complet'^  change,  which 
is  one  of  the  fascinations  of  camping. 

"  Tablecloths  ? "  the  critic  continues  in 
doubt.  Tablecloths !  Bless  your  heart ! 
No.  What  should  we  do  with  tablecloths 
when  we  have  the  sweetest  and  cleanest  of 
pine  boards  to  eat  from?  It  was  only  this 
morning  that  the  hands  of  Mrs.  Gingwerth, 
unaccustomed  to  such  toil,  scoured  it  with 
sand  for  the  pare  fun  of  it.     Cover  up  the 


THE   CAMP  KITCHEN.  109 

work  of  those  fair  hands  with  e very-day  linen 
such  as  one  uses  at  home  —  not  a  hit  of  it. 
Napkins?  Yes,  because  pine  shingles  even 
are  not  pHable  enough  to  wipe  one's  \\\)'s>. 

But  the  long  table  is  just  as  carefully  laid 
for  each  meal  as  though  Ireland  had  sent  its 
linen  and  France  its  china  to  deck  it.  And 
the  bunch  of  golden-rod  and  asters,  the  ex- 
quisite ferns  and  water-lilies  add  a  grace  that 
leaves  nothing  to  be  asked. 

The  twelve  or  fourteen  hungry  men,  wo- 
men, and  children  tliat  gather  about  the 
polished  board  might  demur  at  the  last  sen- 
timent. They  do  ask  more  than  beauty,  a 
good  deal  more.  Whatever  tlioir  appetites 
at  home,  they  are  gloriously  hungry  under 
the  trees.  If  it  is  perch  chowder  with  v;hich 
they  are  to  be  served,  a  full  caldron  must  be 
prepared.  If  it  is  breakfast,  and  rye,  oat- 
meal, or  graham  pudding  is  the  sta})le,  a  two- 
gallon  kettle  must  be  bubbling  in  anticipation 
of  the  delicious  cream  which  the  children  are 
brino'injr  down  from  the  farmhouse.  If  it  is 
griddle-cakes  and  huney,  a  well-worn  path  is 


110  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

made  between  the  eooklnc:  tent  tand  the  din- 
ino"  table  before  the  demand  ceases.  If  it  is 
boiled  rice  and  raisins,  to  be  eaten  with  maple 
syrup,  the  snowy  kernels  must  fill  the  larg-est 
serving-dish,  and  the  raisins  be  generously 
distributed,  or  the  dreaded  (?)  "  vote  of  cen- 
sure "  will  be  passed. 

People  of  a  statistical  turn  of  mind  want 
to  know  just  how  long  it  takes  to  do  the 
domestic  work  of  the  camp.  Let  us  take  a 
single  day  and  see. 

Mrs.  Shayback,  who  delights  in  cooking, 
but  whose  hands  during  the  other  eleven 
months  of  the  year  are  never  free  from  pen, 
pencil,  or  editorial  scissors,  greets  the  dawn 
with  alacrity.  Fifteen  minutes  is  ample  time 
in  which  to  don  the  light  gymnastic  dress 
and  prepare  for  the  kitchen  tent,  where  a 
high-necked,  long-sleeved,  gingham  apron  is 
ready  to  cover  her  completely  like  a  cloak  of 
charity.  Mr.  Shayback  has  considerately 
filled  the  water-pails  before  yielding  to  the 
temptation  that  uncaught  lunge  constantly 
offer,  or  Calvin  is  at  hand  to  do  it.     Or,  per- 


THE   CAMP   KITCHEN.  HI 

haps,  it  is  Mr.  Ganzbacli  who  thus  loyally 
remembers  the  cook.  Ten  to  one  Mrs.  Ganz- 
baeh,  the  ''  fagot-gatherer,"  has  a  bright  fire 
on  the  out-door  hearth,  and  some  good  angel 
has  filled  the  kerosene  stoves.  Mrs.  Shay- 
back  lights  them,  putting  water  for  oatmeal 
and  colfee  on  one  and  the  oven  on  the  other  ; 
stirs  up  a  johnny-cake  or  a  pan  of  gems,  and 
then  sits  down  on  her  tin  cracker-box  to  read 
a  novel  or  write  a  letter. 

If  there  are  fish  to  fry,  an  omelet  to  make, 
a  stew  to  concoet,  or  cold  meat  to  slice,  she 
does  it  all  without  rising  from  her  seat.  The 
fish  are  brought  to  her  ready  to  drop  into  the 
sweet  Indian  meal ;  Arline  happens  j)ast  the 
tent  in  time  to  beat  the  eggs ;  one  of  the  boys 
is  waylaid  as  he  goes  by  and  enticed  into 
bringing  the  meat  from  the  brook-refrigerator, 
and  thus  each  one  who  ventures  near  her 
cookship  is  impressed  into  service. 

In  due  season  the  children  climb  the  hill 
for  the  milk  and  cream,  and  bring  cold  water 
from  the  spring.  Mrs.  Gingwerth  and  Arline 
lay  the  table,  and  in  an  hour  from  the  time 


112  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

Mrs.  Shayback  sat  down  to  get  the  morning 
meal  —  an  attitude  which  to  the  city  cook 
might  seem  rather  lazy  —  she  puts  a  cornet 
to  her  lips  and  calls  her  family  to  break  its 
fast.  The  call  is  obeyed  with  commendable 
punctuality  by  all  save  the  lone  fisherman  on 
the  lake,  whose  ears  the  notes  have  reached, 
but  who  loves  to  illustrate  the  old  adajje  that 
"  none  are  so  deaf  as  those  who  Avon't  hear." 

Nearly  an  hour  is  devoted  to  the  disposition 
of  this  early  repast.  The  hymn  is  sung,  in 
which  all  voices  gladly  unite,  and  the  singing- 
books  are  put  away.  Mrs.  Ganzbach  and 
Arlino  repair  to  the  other  tents  and  put  them 
in  order.  Mrs.  Gingwerth  with  her  dish-mop, 
soap-saver,  and  plenty  of  hot  water,  makes 
the  tin-ware  shine,  while  the  children  and 
their  papas  give  it  the  final  rub,  and  the 
merry  mingling  of  laughter  and  fun  shows 
that  they  make  light  of  the  task.  Mrs.  Shay- 
back, meanwhile,  quietly  withdraws  and  hangs 
herself  in  her  hammock  among  the  trees,  or 
ensconces  herself  in  the  Crow's  Nest  over- 
hanging the  lake.    In  little  more  than  an  hour 


THE   CAMP  KITCHEN.  113 

from  the  time  when  the  camjiers  were  sum- 
moned to  breakfast  the  mornino's  work  is 
done  and  all  are  scattered  to  read  or  row,  to 
walk  or  talk,  as  each  may  choose. 

Dinner  is  served  at  two  o'clock.  The  bath 
in  the  lake  is  taken  at  noon  by  all  who  will. 
On  her  way  to  the  lake  Mrs.  Shayback 
usually  stops  to  light  the  stoves.  After  a 
refreshing  swim  and  reading  the  mail,  which 
the  children  have  brought  from  the  village, 
she  returns  to  the  7x7  tent.  Some  of  the 
little  folks  have  rubbed  the  ragged  jackets 
from  the  delightful  new  potatoes,  the  water 
for  which  is  boiling.  Calvin  has  opened  the 
can  of  tomatoes  and  is  ready  to  lend  a  hand 
at  breaking  up  the  macaroni  or  shelling  the 
peas,  while  he  plans  with  the  cook  all  sorts  of 
new  conveniences  in  the  way  of  rustic  seats 
and  miniature  bridges. 

The  lamb  is  put  to  roast,  or  the  fish  to 
bake,  —  if  the  fisherman  has  been  lucky,  — 
and  Mrs.  Shayback  sits  down  on  her  cracker- 
box  aijain  and  resumes  her  German  novel. 
The  dessert  was  prepared  while  the  others  were 


114  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

washing  the  breakfast  dishes  :  a  custard, 
blancmange,  lemon  jelly,  a  picnic  pudding, 
or  some  such  trifle.  No  cakes  or  pies  are 
allowed.  Fruit,  either  fresh  or  the  best  brand 
of  canned,  is  always  added,  and  two  or  three 
times  a  week  nuts  and  raisins. 

In  spite  of  the  novel-reading  things  seem 
to  come  out  right  at  the  proper  time.  The 
children  think  beets  were  never  so  tender, 
peas  so  sweet,  and  potatoes  so  mealy,  as  come 
steaming  hot  on  the  pine  table  at  two  o'clock. 
Certainly  there  was  never  such  lunge,  and 
Faneuil  Market  has  no  better  lamb. 

By  three  o'clock  the  last  nut  is  picked, 
save  a  few  badly  cracked  ones  that  are  left 
for  the  squirrels.  By  four  o'clock  the  last 
vestige  of  dish-washing  has  disappeared.  Not 
a  scrap  of  food  is  left  to  attract  the  flies. 
Not  an  unsightly  remnant  but  has  been  safely 
disposed  of  in  the  "  scrap-box,"  to  be  rowed 
off  and  thrown  into  deep  water,  or  buried  in 
a  pit. 

Two  or  three  hours  remain  of  the  peaceful 
day.      At  seven  the  bugle  calls  the  group 


THE   CAMP  KITCHEN.  115 

together.  A  tin  cup  and  a  tin  saucer  are 
placed  for  each  person.  A  tower  of  bread 
and  butter,  ready  spread,  a  basket  of  oatmeal 
biscuit,  a  pitcher  of  milk,  a  pot  of  chocolate, 
with  whipped  cream,  and  a  dish  of  berries  or 
stewed  fruit,  is  the  simple  "  tea,"  which  never 
varies.  Ten  minutes  is  sufficient  time  to  pre- 
pare it ;  ten  minutes  more  to  clear  it  away. 
At  eight  the  day  is  done.  The  children  are 
safe  in  bed,  and  only  a  few  of  the  elders  are 
dissipated  enough  to  sit  up  till  the  late  hour 
of  nine. 

The  domestic  work  has  gone  of  itself.  The 
chief  cook  certainly  can  recall  nothing  but  a 
few  odd  bits  of  it  interspersed  with  reading, 
writing,  and  the  pleasantest  converse  with 
congenial  friends. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE   PIQUANCIES    AND    PEIIILS    OF   A    STEAM 

YACHT. 

Any  history  of  our  camp  life  in  Memplire- 
magog  would  be  meagre  and  incomplete  which 
did  not  recognize  the  pride  and  glory  of  our 
navy,  the  little  steamer  Nymph.  It  was  the 
second  year  of  the  occupancy  at  Camp  Mer- 
rinian  that  the  Shaybacks  saw  a  little,  grace- 
ful, noisy,  industrious  steam-launch  puffing 
its  way  towards  Magog. 

"  How  nice  it  would  be  to  have  a  little 
steamboat !  "  said  Mr.  Shayback. 

"  Yes,  it  would,"  said  Medfield. 

The  ladies  were  more  cautious  in  expressing 
their  opinion,  but  it  was  discovered  that  they 
thought  such  a  boat  would  be  delightful,  pro- 
vided the  boiler  could  be  kept  from  going  up, 
or  the  hull  could  be  kept  from  going  down. 


A  STEAM  YACHT.  117 

Mental  pictures  of  the  deliolits  of  criiisiiii^ 
on  the  clear  waters  of  the  lake  were  "apuUy 
painted.  The  steamer  was  interviewed,  and 
the  description  which  the  owner  gave  of  its 
(jualities  was  considered  to  be  far  within  tlie 
limits  of  truth.  The  bargain  was  concluded. 
A  check  and  a  bill  of  sale  changed  hands,  and 
the  Nymph  changed  owners. 

Biography  has  impartially  recorded  the 
proud  elation  of  youthful  Benjamin  Franklin 
when  he  came  into  possession  of  a  small 
Avhistle.  But  the  Shaybacks'  whistle  was  a 
large  one  ;  still  more  it  was  a  6'/ea;>^-whistle  ; 
yet  further,  there  was  a  steamboat  attached 
to  it.  The  new  craft  was,  to  all  intents  and 
purposes,  a  high-[)ressure  toy,  but  a  very  use- 
ful and  enjoyable  toy  ;*  and  the  Shaybacks 
never  thought  they  paid  too  much  for  their 
whistle  except  on  one  or  two  occasions.  Med- 
lield  and  Mr.  Shayback  were  e([ual  partners 
in  this  ownership,  and  for  the  sake  of  dignity 
the  association  formed  was  called  the  Inter- 
national Memphremagog  Steam  Navigation 
Company.     The  steamer   thus  acquired  was 


118  THE   SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

thirty  feet  long',  six  feet  beam,  and  drew  two 
feet  of  water.  It  liad  a  four-liorse-power  en- 
gine, with  an  ample  boiler  three  and  a  lialf 
feet  in  diameti^r,  and  five  feet  high  ;  a  capa- 
cious fire-box,  capable  oF  burning  wood  or 
coal ;  a  siphon  for  bailing  out  the  boat ;  a 
steam-pump,  and  the  usual  mechanical  fixtures 
of  a  small  yacht,  except  an  injector.  The 
hull  was  stanch  and  stiff ;  there  was  no  cabin, 
but  an  awning  on  an  iron  framework  covered 
the  boat,  and  furnished  protection  against  sun 
and  rain.  There  were  lockers  for  tools  and 
provisions ;  boxes  for  coal  and  wood ;  a  grace- 
ful Hag-pole  stood  erect  in  the  bow.  The 
boiler  was  placed  in  the  centre  of  the  boat  and 
the  engine  just  abaft.  By  means  of  a  rod 
connected  with  the  rudder,  the  engineer  could 
act  as  pilot  when  necessary.  Rudder  chains 
were  also  extended  to  the  bow,  where  the  pilot 
usually  stood.  The  boat  and  its  machinery 
were  built  in  Canada,  and  used  originally  on 
the  St.  Lawrence,  and  then  transported  to 
landlocked  Memphremagog. 

The  Shaybacks  thus  came  into  possession 


A  STEAM  YACHT.  HO 

of  a  foroii^ii  bottom,  —  [i  v(vssi'l  ])orn  and 
broui»lit  n\)  under  the  Jiritlsli  Wag  ;  a  vi'sstd 
■whose  keel,  on  j\Ieniplirenia<;'oo-  at  least,  had 
never  crossed  the  American  line. 

It  was  a  moment  of  supreme  exhilaration 
■when  the  little  Nymph  sti^imed  into  the  cove 
and  dropped  anchor,  and  Chamheau,  the 
ohlii>In<^  engineer,  formally  delivered  her  to 
Mr.  Shayhack,  representing  the  International 
Memphremagog  Steam  Navigation  Company. 
A  trial-trip  ■was  made  without  unnecessary  de- 
lay, during  ■svhich  her  keel  was  rudely  scraped 
on  the  danii'erous  ledi>es  wliicli  Hanked  tlie 
approach  to  our  harbor.  A  Canadian  coast 
survey  was  informally  organized,  and  the 
channel  was  distinctly  marked  by  buoys.  A 
second  trli)  was  made  to  Mao-oc^  to  land  the 
engineer  on  his  native  soil,  and  the  steamboat 
"was  declared  ready  for  use. 

The  vanguard  of  the  camp  at  this  time  con- 
sisted of  i\Ir.  and  ]\Irs.  Shayback,  and  their 
daughter  Pusskin,  two  twin  women  doctors, 
—  who  looked  so  much  alike  that  their  iden- 
tity was  interchangeable,  and  who  constituted, 


120  THE  SUA  y BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

with  Mrs.  Sliiiyback,  a  trio  of  pliyslcians,  — 
and  their  nephew,  Harry.  The  rest  of  the 
campers  were  to  eouie  two  days  hiter. 

It  was  with  mingled  f'eelinos  of  pride  and 
responsihllity  that  jNIr.  Shayhaek  proposed  to 
the  laiUes  of  the  vanguard  a  trip  on  the 
Nymph. 

'^  We  will  make  a  run  to  Georgeville  this 
afternoon,"  he  said,  "  tlien  steam  across  the 
lake  to  Gihraltar,  and  get  back  hy  sundown." 

The  ladies  graciously  acce2)ted  the  invita- 
tion. The  steamer  was  cleared  for  action, 
the  fire  lighted,  the  bins  filled  with  wood,  and 
in  about  three  (j[iiarters  of  an  hour  a  demoniac 
shriek  from  the  whistle  announced  to  the 
responsive  hills  that  the  steamer  was  ready. 
The  ladies  were  brought  aboard  in  the  ten- 
dor,  which  was  judicionsly  fastened  behind. 

Mr.  Shayback  forthwith  proceeded  to  the 
bow  to  weigh  anchor.  On  most  steamers 
plying  between  the  United  States  and  foreign 
ports  this  office  is  performed  by  a  windlass  or 
a  steam-engine.  The  superior  muscle  of  the 
crew  of  the  Nymph  disdained  all  such  me- 
chanical expedients. 


A  STEAM  YACHT.  121 

The  ianclior  had  taken  a  firm  grip  in  the 
sand  and  refused  to  be  parted.  After  con- 
siderable vain  tug'ging  the  chain  was  slack- 
ened, a  few  turns  of  the  propeller  sent  tho 
boat  ahead,  the  anchor  was  forced  to  loosen 
its  grip,  was  drawn  on  board,  and  the 
Nymph  sailed  slowly  out  into  the  channel. 
Harry  stood  at  the  engine,  Mr.  Shay  back  at 
the  tiller,  and  her  head  was  pointed  toward 
George  ville. 

"  How  delightful !  "  said  Mr.  Shayback  ; 
"  how  nicely  she  obeys  her  rudder  !  "  The 
ladies  were  not  strangers  to  the  mysteries  of 
steering,  but  exhibited  more  curiosity  in  re- 
gard to  the  engine  and  its  operations.  They 
also  asked  various  questions  about  the  boiler, 
some  of  which  seemed  to  be  dictated  by  a 
sense  of  self-interest.  As  this  was  the  first 
trip,  Mr.  Sli^yback  was  anxious  to  overcome 
all  unnecessary  solicitude. 

"  Just  think  of  being  able  to  light  a  fire 
under  a  big  tea-kettle,  and  then  to  move  at 
this  rate  without  exertion  !  " 

*•  Yes,  it  is  delightful,  only  it  seems  rather 


122  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

hot  around  the  boiler.  Do  you  have  to 
keep  poking  wood  into  the  furnace  all  the 
time  ?  " 

"  It  is  necessary  to  keep  up  an  even  heat, 
and  this  wood  is  rather  soft,  and  burns  fast. 
But  then  it  is  not  so  hard  to  fire  up  as  to 
row,  you  know.  The  gauge  seems  to  interest 
you? 

"  Yes,  I  was  looking  to  see  how  many 
pounds  of  steam  you  have." 

"  About  seventy  now.  She  runs  better  at 
seventy.  When  we  get  her  up  to  eighty  she 
is  apt  to  thump  a  good  deal." 

"How  many  pounds  does  the  Lady  carry?" 

"  About  twenty-seven." 

"  Mercy  on  us  !  You  don't  mean  that  we 
carry  more  than  twice  as  many  pounds  as  the 
Lady  ?  " 

"  Yes,  but  don't  be  afraid ;  the  Lady  is 
a  low-pressure  steamer,  and  that  is  where  she 
differs  from  the  twin  doctors,  Mrs.  Shayback, 
and  the  Nymph,  who  are  always  at  high- 
pressure." 

"  What  is  that  glass  for  ?  " 


A  STEAM  YACHT.  123 

"  Oh,  that 's  the  water-gauge ;  that  tells 
how  much  water  there  is  in  the  boiler." 

"  Let  me  see  how  much  there  is  now.  I 
mean  to  watch  this  glass  every  time  I  go 
out." 

"  Oh,  there  's  enough  !  There  is  a  little 
pump  here  that  draws  the  water  from  the 
lake  into  the  boiler." 

"  What  is  that  water  squirting  from  the 
side  of  the  boat  ?  " 

"  Well,  you  see  the  boiler  is  full,  so  that 
Ave  have  turned  this  valve,  and  the  pump  is 
discharofino:  into  the  lake." 

Just  then  the  rhythmic  puffing  which  had 
been  going  on  in  the  steam-stack  suddenly 
ceased,  and  a  loud  noise  of  escaping  steam 
came  from  under  the  stern  of  the  boat. 

"  Dear  me  !  what  is  that  ?  " 

"  Oh,  that  is  simply  the  exhaust-steam  from 
the  engine.  Harry  has  been  blowing  his  fire 
in  the  smoke-stack,  and  now  he  has  turned  it 
olf  from  the  fire  and  let  it  discharge  into  the 
air.  The  steam  as  it  strikes  the  water  makes 
a  somewhat  unpleasant  noise.     The  great  art 


124  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

of  running  a  stetam-yaclit/'  said  Mr.  Shay- 
back,  learnedly,  "  is  to  keep  up  an  even  rate 
o£  speed  by  preserving  an  even  pressure  of 
steam.  When  your  fire  is  low  then  turn  your 
exhaust  into  the  smoke-stack,  which  helps  the 
draft.  Observe  also  the  effect  of  a  little  lu- 
brication. This  cup  on  the  top  of  the  cylin- 
der is  filled  wdtli  melted  tallow.  A  slight 
turn  of  this  screw  lets  a  spoonful  of  it  into 
the  cylinder." 

"  My,  how  she  shoots  ahead  !  " 

"  Yes ;  the  prompt  effect  of  lubrication  is 
susfffestive  for  various  situations  in  life." 

"  I  suppose  you  will  be  working  it  up  into 
a  sermoii  some  time." 

By  this  time  the  Nymph  was  nearing 
Georgeville.  Describing  one  of  those  grace- 
ful curves  which  the  accomplished  pilot,  like 
the  practiced  skater,  takes  pleasure  in  cutting 
with  his  boat-keel,  the  Nymph  rounded  beau- 
tifully towards  the  w  harf .  The  whistle  was 
sounded  with  dignity ;  her  speed  was  slack- 
ened, and  at  what  seemed  an  appropriate  dis- 
tance the  engine  was  shut  off,  the  determina- 


A  STEAM  YACHT.  125 

tlon  o£  tlie  captain  and  engineer  being  to 
treat  the  Nymph  with  as  much  dignity  and 
circumspection  as  if  she  had  been  a  big  frig- 
ate. The  pilot  had  been  informed  that  it 
was  not  advisable  to  run  the  nose  of  the  boat 
violently  against  the  pier,  as  the  vessel  had 
not  been  constructed  to  serve  as  a  steam-ram, 
and  the  condition  of  the  wharf  at  Georoi;eville 
was  so  precarious  that  it  needed  to  be  treated 
with  all  possible  consideration.  Therefore 
Mr.  Shayback  deemed  it  advisable  to  reverse 
the  engine. 

"  Back  her,  Harry,  back  her  ! " 

There  was  a  rush  of  steam,  and  one  or  two 
thumps  of  the  crank. 

"  She  won't  back  worth  a  cent,"  said 
Harry. 

This  was  quite  evident  when  the  steamer, 
although  Mr.  Shayback's  arms  were  put  forth 
to  avert  the  force  of  the  blow,  struck  with  a 
s(miewhat  rude  shock  against  the  wharf.  No 
damage  was  evident,  however.  There  was  a 
prevalent  opinion  on  shipljoard  that  the 
steamer  could  stand  it  if  the  Avharf  could. 


126  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

The  vessel  was  artistically  tied  by  bow- 
lines and  clove  hitches.  A  half  hour  was 
spent  in  errands  at  the  village,  it  being  im- 
possible to  do  even  the  smallest  errand  in 
George ville  in  a  less  space  of  time.  Then 
the  lines  were  cast  off,  and  the  helm  was  jiut 
about,  and  the  Nymph  was  headed  for  Gib- 
raltar. 

It  was  about  a  mile  across  the  lake  to 
this  bold  cliff.  Sailing  under  its  shadow,  we 
escaped  the  heat  of  the  sun,  and  the  yachts- 
man here  is  sure  of  a  free  keel. 

"  We  can  run  very  close  to  the  shore," 
said  Mr.  Shayback  -,  '^  there  is  plenty  of 
water." 

"  Yes,"  said  Harry,  "  there  seems  to  be  a 
plenty  of  water  inside  the  boat,  too ;  I  think 
we  could  spare  some  of  it." 

He  turned  the  valve  in  the  steam-pipe  and 
let  on  the  siphon  and  blew  a  heavy  stream 
of  water  into  the  lake. 

''  How  nice  that  is  !  "  observed  one  of  the 
twin  doctors,  who  was  naturally  interested  in 
the  anatomy  of  the  boat  and  its  venous  circu- 


A  STEAM  YACHT.  127 

lation.  "  You  can  blow  the  water  out  with- 
out bailing  it.  But  what  makes  so  much 
water  there  ?  " 

*^  Oh,  you  see  there  is  always  a  little  from 
the  condensation  of  the  steam  !  And  then 
the  hull  is  not  perfecthj  tight." 

We  sailed  along  a  few  minutes  more  on 
the  west  side  of  the  lake,  enjoying  the  calm 
water  and  cool  air,  and  a  sense  of  superior 
leisure,  as  we  looked  at  the  rowers  in  a  small 
boat  who  were  laboriously  making  their  way 
with  an  "  ash  breeze." 

Mr.  Shayback  was  in  the  stern  holding  the 
tiller.  Harry  was  engaged  about  the  engine, 
the  ladies  had  settled  down  to  the  feminine 
occupation  of  reading  and  handiwork. 

"  Jimminy  !  "  said  Harry,  with  emphasis. 
Then  turning  to  Mr.  Shayback,  he  remarked 
in  a  confidential  manner,  "  slie  's  leakbuj  like 
Mazes  !  " 

Mr.  Shayback  put  his  finger  to  his  mouth 
invoking  secrecy,  and  noticed  that  the  water 
was  coming  in  in  a  small  but  very  steady 
stream  just  behind  the  engine.     He  cast  his 


128  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

eyes  across  the  lake,  and  at  once  took  his  bear- 
ings for  Camp  Merriman,  the  tents  of  which 
formed  little  specks  of  white  on  the  beautiful 
green  i  ackground. 

"  Are  we  going  back  to  camp  ?"  said  one 
of  the  ladies. 

"  Yes,  I  think  we  had  better,"  said  Mr. 
Shayback.  "  I  want  to  have  a  little  time  on 
shore  before  dark." 

Mr.  Shayback  might  have  found  an  addi- 
tional argument  in  the  condition  of  the  boat, 
if  he  had  wished  to  urge  it. 

Harry  turned  the  steam  in  the  siphon  at 
intervals  of  about  five  minutes,  which  sufficed 
to  keep  the  water  below  the  fire-box.  But 
the  effect  of  drawing  so  much  steam  from  the 
engine  was  to  lessen  the  speed  of  the  boat. 
If  there  had  been  a  short  allowance  of  fuel 
the  condition  of  the  expedition  would  have 
been  somew^hat  precarious. 

Not  that  Mr.  Shayback  was  greatly  con- 
cerned for  the  safety  of  the  passengers  and 
crew,  for,  in  the  smooth  water  that  prevailed, 
all  of  them,  numbering  six,  might  have  just 


A  STEAM  YACHT.  129 

crowded  into  the  Hippogrif,  which  was  per- 
forming the  responsible  duty  of  tender.  But 
it  seemed  a  little  ignominious  that  the 
Nymph,  if  she  was  to  sink  at  all,  should  do 
so  on  her  first  regular  trip.  He  also  pre- 
feired  to  have  this  event  occur  in  much  shal- 
low^er  water. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  that  the  course 
was  made  as  direct  as  the  nature  of  shoals 
and  reefs  would  permit.  And  when,  finally, 
the  Nymph  entered  the  camp-cove,  she  an- 
chored in  a  kind  of  funereal  silence,  without 
any  ostentatious  shrieking  of  the  whistle. 

And  now,  with  a  great  sense  of  relief  at 
having  safely  landed  the  ladies,  the  next 
question  that  presented  itself  was,  what  to  do 
with  the  boat  ? 

Mr.  Shayback  and  Harry  immediately  set 
themselves  to  discover  the  source  of  the  leak, 
and  then  spent  a  precious  hour  in  uselessly 
trying  to  stop  it.  The  trouble  was  found  to 
be  in  the  bow.  The  blow  at  the  Georgeville 
wharf  had  evidently  started  the  stern-post. 
Oakum  and  putty  were  ineffectual.     It  is  of 


130  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

no  use  to  put  putty  on  below  the  water-line 
unless  it  has  a  chance  to  dry. 

The  sun  was  gradually  sinking  behind  the 
hill  in  the  west,  and  there  was  an  equal  cer- 
tainty that  the  Nymph  would  sink  also  if 
something  were  not  immediately  done  for  her 
relief.  It  would  have  been  possible  to  beach 
the  boat  then  and  there.  But  the  next  day 
she  was  to  make  her  first  trip  to  the  United 
States,  and  Mr.  Shayback  was  not  ready  to 
abandon  either  the  boat  or  the  cherished  ex- 
pectation. 

"  Let  us  wood  up  again,  Harry,"  he  said, 
"  and  run  her  into  Georgeville,  and  see  if  we 
can  get  any  help." 

A  little  time  was  consumed  in  filling  the 
bunkers,  and  the  sun  had  already  gone  behind 
the  hills  when  the  Nymph,  in  the  melancholy 
twilight,  started  forth  again  to  seek  a  physi- 
cian for  her  wounded  nose  and  the  somewhat 
wounded  pride  of  her  owner.  It  was  not  an 
airreeable  thinjx  to  leave  the  three  ladies  and 
little  Pusskin  alone  in  the  camp,  with  the 
darkness  fast  settling,  nor  was  it  agreeable  to 


A  STEAM  YACHT.  131 

start  forth  at  this  time  in  a  sinking  steamer. 
But  necessity  is  the  mother  of  compulsion. 

In  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes  Georgeville 
was  reached.  There  stood  the  dihxpidatcd  okl 
wharf  grimly  showing  its  teeth,  and  challeng- 
ing us  to  another  encounter.  Discretion  was 
deemed  the  better  part  of  valor.  We  glided 
in  peaceably  alongside  and  amicably  tied  up 
to  one  of  its  logs.  Leaving  Harry  to  watch 
the  fire  under  the  boiler,  and  yet  more  vigi- 
lantly the  water,  which  was  striving  to  rise 
and  put  it  out,  Mr.  Shayback  jumped  ashore, 
and  ran  to  Bullock's  store. 

"  Mr.  Bullock,  the  Nymph  has  sprung  a 
leak.    Is  there  a  boat-builder  in  the  villajre  ?  " 

"  The  best  man  for  you  is  Moses  Achil- 
les." 

Mr.  Shayback  had  heard  of  Moses,  and 
also  of  Achilles,  but  did  not  know  then  that 
IMomphremagog  had  united  and  preserved  in 
one  personality  both  of  these  ancient  heroes. 

"  But  where  does  this  archaic  personage 
live  ?  " 

*'  Across  the  lake,  —  up  Knowlton's  Bay." 


132  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

The  point  indiccitod  was  aljout  three  miles 
away.  This  was  disco urag'in^.  Mr.  Shay- 
back's  hopes  somewhat  resembled  the  condi- 
tion of  the  vessel. 

"  Can  you  furnish  me  a  guide  ?  "  he  said. 

Mr.  Bullock  thought  a  moment. 

"  Well,  I  can  send  uj)  for  Jim  Burbank ; 
he  knows  where  Achilles  lives." 

A  boy  was  immediately  dispatched  to  sum- 
mon with  haste  this  genius,  already  well  known 
to  the  campers.  Mr.  Burbank  was  a  loquacious, 
off-hand  fellow,  somewhat  dilapidated  him- 
self, like  the  wharf  which  caused  the  trouble, 
and  unable  to  sympathize  at  all  with  a  boat 
which  had  acquired  the  vicious  habit  of  tak- 
ins:  in  too  much  water.  But  he  was  a  ffood 
fellow  to  keep  one's  spirits  up  on  the  trip  that 
we  were  about  to  undertake,  and  I  trust  that 
he  has  abandoned  the  habit  of  keeping  up 
his  own  spirits  in  any  artificial  way. 

By  the  time  we  were  ready  to  start,  a 
crowd  of  boys,  comprising  almost  the  entire 
portion  of  the  youthful  inhabitants  of  George- 
ville,  had  gathered  on  the  wharf.    It  does  not 


A  STEAM  YACHT.  133 

take  a  group  of  boys  long  to  know  what  is 
going  on.  Mr.  Shayhack  was  not  suri)risL'tl, 
therefore,  to  hear  one  of  them  say  to  the 
latest  comer,  in  a  confidential  voice,  ^'  She  's 
sinking,  Johnny  !  " 

Here  was  an  opportunity  to  be  generous. 

"  Boys,  would  n't  you  like  to  take  a  trip 
across  the  lake  ?  " 

There  was  a  dead  silence.  The  irony  of 
the  invitation  was  detected.  But  a  respectful 
solenuiity  befitting  so  funereal  an  occasion 
was  politely  observed. 

"  Well,  cast  her  off,  boys  !  " 

The  line  was  unfastened,  the  steamer  was 
backed  out,  turned,  and  pointed  across  the 
lake.  There  was  no  moon,  but  the  stars  were 
shining  brightly.  Mr.  Shayback  took  the 
helm.  Harry  served  again  as  engineer,  while 
Burbank  called  out  "  port "  and  "  starboard  " 
from  the  bow,  as  occasion  required.  It  was 
nine  o'clock  when  we  started  on  a  voyage 
whose  issue  was  wholly  uncertain.  It  was  a 
contest  between  fire  and  water,  —  the  water 
rising  from  time  to  time  almost  to  the  grate- 


134  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

bars,  Avliile  the  firo  furnished  steam  to  expel  it 
from  the  boat.  We  soon  found  that  it  was 
too  wasteful  of  steam  to  rely  wholly  upon  the 
siphon,  and  Burbank  was  stationed  in  front 
of  the  boiler  with  a  pail,  to  bail  out  the 
water  and  keep  the  draft  clear.  He  selected 
a  bright  particular  star  for  Mr.  Shaybaek  to 
steer  by,  and  diverted  the  flag<^ing  spirits  of 
the  company  by  copious  sketches  of  his  life 
and  adventures. 

The  pilot  had  little  to  do  but  to  preserve  a 
straight  course.  Under  the  circumstances 
the  vessel  exhibited  only  that  decorous  rate  of 
speed  which  we  might  expect  of  a  steamboat 
going  to  its  own  funeral.  Burbank's  tongue 
was  the  one  thing  that  ran  fast  on  board,  and 
this  vied  with  the  engine  in  its  rhythmic  regu- 
larity. Finally  the  lake  was  crossed,  and  the 
steamer  entered  the  broad  mouth  of  the  bay. 
The  star  of  our  hope  still  shone  before  us, 
but  Burbank  chose  a  nearer  beacon  more  defi- 
nitely indicating  our  destination. 

"  Do  you  see  that  light  across  the  starboard 
bow  ?     Well,  keep  her  head  towards  that." 


A  STEAM  YACHT.  135 

"Does  Achillos  live  there?" 

"  No  ;  but  there  is  a  beiiutiful  cove  this  side 
of  it :  we  will  beach  her  there,  and  then  go 
after  him." 

The  fisherman  knew  every  rock  and  snag 
along  the  shores  of  the  bay,  even  in  the  dark. 
Ilis  brain,  when  not  artificially  irrigated,  was 
as  good  as  a  coast  survey  map.  I  dare  not 
say  how  many  terrible  disasters,  according  to 
his  own  account,  we  avoided  before  we  reached 
the  little  cove,  by  following  his  sailing  direc- 
tions. 

The  light  came  nearer  and  nearer,  and 
grew  larger  and  larger,  and  finally  the  time 
came  when  we  put  her  helm  starboard,  shut 
down  the  steam,  and,  after  prospecting  in  the 
small  boat  for  a  good  place,  ran  her  up  as  far 
as  we  could  upon  the  beach.  Props  were  cut 
and  driven  into  the  sand  on  each  side  of  the 
yacht,  to  prevent  its  keeling  over  in  case  a 
storm  should  rise.  Mr.  Shayback  in  company 
Avith  Burbank,  whose  appearance  was  calcu- 
lated to  excite  pity,  stated  the  harrowing  tale 
of  their  shipwreck  at  the  house  near  by.     It 


136  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

was  found  that  the  home  of  the  Semitic 
Greek  was  about  a  mile  away.  Mr.  Shayback 
desired  to  hire  a  horse  and  a  buggy.  Per- 
haps his  appearance  and  that  of  his  compan- 
ion did  not  inspire  confidence  in  the  farmer, 
who  probably  saw  no  way  in  which  a  steam 
yacht  could  be  utilized  for  agricultural  pur- 
poses, in  case  his  horse  was  not  returned.  He 
made  an  effort  to  excuse  this  inhospitality 
by  pleading  humanity  to  his  already  over- 
worked beasts,  which  had  done  a  hard  day's 
plowing. 

Burbank  and  Mr.  Shayback  thereupon  set 
out  afoot  for  the  temple  of  the  hero.  They 
found  that  the  Mosaic  element  in  his  charac- 
ter had  triumphed  over  the  Grecian.  He  had 
given  up  his  polytheism,  and  had  just  come 
from  a  Methodist  meeting.  He  was  a  great 
strapping  fellow,  six  feet  plus,  of  heavy  frame 
and  heroic  features.  He  received  us  even 
more  graciously  than  the  ancient  Achilles  re- 
ceived Ulysses  and  his  friends  when  they 
came  to  pacify  his  wrath.  He  promised  to 
repair  the  boat  in  the  morning,  but  said  he 


A  STEAM  YACHT.  137 

musfc  have  assistance,  and  gave  us  the  names 
of  two  people  who  were  to  be  roused  on  our 
way  back.  One  o£  them  had  already  long 
retu'ed  for  the  night,  and  was  only  awakened 
after  a  vigorous  banging  at  the  door,  and  then 
appeared  in  his  robe  de  nuit,  in  a  state  of 
sleepy  curiosity.  He  had  a  job  of  haying  to  do 
next  day,  but  promised  to  be  early  on  hand  to 
help  with  the  boat. 

Eeturning  then  to  the  Nymph,  we  cov- 
ered our  engine  with  canvas,  bade  her  a 
good  night's  sleep  on  the  beach,  undisturbed 
by  winds  or  waves,  and,  taking  the  tender, 
pushed  off  from  the  shore.  The  contrast  be- 
tween sailing  leisurely  in  the  Nymph  and 
earning  our  passage  with  a  pair  of  heavy  oars 
such  as  the  Hippogrif  possessed  was  made 
the  subject  of  remark  ;  but  no  little  gratitude 
v,as  expressed  that  the  harbor  we  had  found 
for  the  yacht  was  not  at  the  bottom  of  the 
lake. 

A  direct  course  for  camp  would  have  short- 
ened our  trip  by  a  mile  and  a  half,  but  it  was 
necessary  to  take  both  sides  of  the  triangle 


138  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

instead  of  the  hypothenuse  in  order  to  leave 
Burbank  at  Georgeville. 

The  little  village  was  wrapped  in  slumber 
when  we  landed.  Not  a  soul  was  on  the  old 
wharf,  and  it  seemed  to  grin  at  us  as  satiri- 
cally as  ever.  Some  seven  hours  had  elapsed 
since  we  ran  the  nose  of  the  Nymph  into 
its  timbers,  and  the  wharf  had  not  sunk  yet. 
It  was  the  same  old  wharf  through  which,  on 
account  of  a  rotten  plank,  Mr.  Shayback  had 
fallen  a  year  before,  and  taken  an  involun- 
tary bath  in  his  Sunday-go-to-meeting  clothes. 
Next  to  the  pleasure  of  seeing  that  wharf 
sink,  nothing  would  have  been  so  exhilarat- 
ing as  to  see  it  go  uj^  through  the  elevating 
iiifluence  of  a  charge  of  dynamite  ;  but  it  did 
not  do  either.  It  sat  there  in  the  water  just 
as  unconcernedly  as  if  nothing  had  happened, 
and  mocked  us  by  its  grim  and  silent  com- 
placency. 

More  than  once  our  thoughts  had  turned 
to  the  three  little  women  at  camp,  and,  hav- 
ing landed  Burbank,  we  pointed  the  prow 
of  the  Hippogrif  towards  the  familiar  cove  a 


A  STEAM  YACHT.  139 

mile  and  a  half  away.  After  fifteen  minutes 
of  vigorous  pulling  we  rounded  the  long 
point,  and,  looking  over  our  shoulders,  saw 
the  light  of  a  red  lantern  on  the  shore.  A 
loud,  cheerful  war-whoop  from  Mr.  Shayback, 
.1  vocal  idiosyncrasy  familiar  to  the  campers, 
showed  that  the  welcome  signal  had  been 
recognized.  A  faint  but  reassuring  response 
came  from  the  shore.  The  three  short-skirted 
graces  of  the  camp  were  there,  wrapped  in 
the  halo  of  kerosene  lanterns.  They  had  not 
been  eaten  up  by  the  squirrels  or  carried  off 
by  the  night-hawks.  The  prow  of  the  Hip- 
pogrif  ran  upon  the  sand.     It  was  past  mid- 


night. 


"  Well,  the  Nymph  is  safe,"  said  Mr.  Shay- 
back, "  and  you  are  safe,  and  we  are  safe  too. 
The  joys  of  salvation  are  pretty  well  distrib- 
uted," and  he  rapidly  recited  the  tale  of  their 
adventures.  "  But  were  n't  you  afraid  to  stay 
alone  in  the  woods  until  midnight  ?  "  he  asked 
the  ladies. 

^^  No,"  was  the  response. 

"  Did  you  feel  anxious  about  us  ?  " 


140  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

"Oh  —  no!  we  didn't  worry  much.  We 
thought  you  could  take  care  of  the  boat 
and  take  care  of  yourselves  too.  But  we  are 
glad  to  see  you  Ijack." 

Neither  Harry  nor  Mr.  Shayback  had  had 
any  supper.  They  had  been  too  much  con- 
cerned for  the  interior  of  the  Nymph  to 
think  of  their  own  internal  emptiness.  His- 
toric truthfulness  compels  us  to  say  that  the 
hot  chocolate  which  ]\Irs.  Shayback  had 
thoughtfully  prepared  was  a  delightful  mid- 
night sequel  to  the  anxious  adventures  of  the 
day,  and  that  the  slumber  of  the  tired  mari- 
ners was  as  deep  and  refreshing  as  that  of 
Ulysses  when,  after  his  still  more  perilous 
misfortunes  on  his  raft,  he  sank  to  rest  on 
the  Phseacian  shore. 

The  next  morning  Mr.  Shayback  and  Harry 
rowed  over  again  to  Knowlton's  Bay.  They 
found  the  faithful  Achilles  and  his  men  at 
work  on  the  yacht.  After  taking  a  swim  in 
the  bay,  and  collecting  a  boat-load  of  wood 
in  their  tender,  they  returned  to  the  Nymj^h, 
which  was  repaired  and  ready  for  use. 


A  STEAM  YACHT.  141 

"  I  have  patched  her  up  now,"  said  the 
Canadian  Greek ;  "  Lut  I  advise  you  to  put 
a  new  bow  into  her." 

"  You  would  not  advise  me,  then,  to  run 
her  nose  into  the  George ville  wharf  again  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  the  smiling  Achilles. 

"How  much  do  I  owe  you?"  said  Mr. 
Shayback. 

"  Oh,  about  a  dollar  and  a  half  1 " 

"  Phew  !  "  said  Mr.  Shayback,  overcome  by 
the  shocking  moderateness  of  the  demand. 

"  Well,  you  see,"  said  Achilles,  in  an  ex- 
planatory tone,  "  I  must  pay  twenty-five  cents 
apiece  to  these  men  for  drawing  her  up." 

Mr.  Shayback  paid  the  bill  without  fur- 
ther protest.  The  fire  was  lighted,  the  steam 
was  raised,  the  boat  was  shoved  into  deep 
water,  and  in  about  three  quarters  of  an  hour 
was  once  more  plowing  the  smooth  waiters 
of  the  lake. 

"Well,  I  think  that  we  got  out  of  that 
pretty  well,"  said  jMr.  Shayback. 

"Yes,"  said  Harry. 

Eeachino;  the  centre  of  the  lake  the  white 


142  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

specks  of  the  camp-tents  could  be  seen  in  the 
distance. 

"  Let  us  show  them  she  is  afloat  again," 
said  Harry,  and  so  he  took  the  whistle-cord 
and  gave  a  series  of  vigorous  pulls.  First 
a  long  screech,  then  a  short  screech,  then 
a  variety  of  staccato  shrieks  in  triple  time. 
The  whistle  seemed  fairly  intoxicated  with 
elation,  and  screamed  at  the  top  of  its  voice 
until  every  bird  and  squirrel  on  the  shores 
must  have  thought  the  Nymj^h  had  gone 
crazy. 

Quite  a  different  effect  had  this  steam- 
whistle  jig  at  Georgeville.  It  was  known  in 
what  condition  the  boat  had  left  the  night 
before.  The  people  at  the  store  were  filled 
with  alarm.  Paul  Younjr,  one  of  the  best 
oarsmen  on  the  lake,  rushed  down  to  the 
water  for  his  boat.  All  unconscious  of  the 
alarm  they  liad  created,  Mr.  Shayback  and 
Harry,  in  high  feather  at  their  good  fortune, 
were  steaming  proudly  towards  Georgeville. 

'^  Harry,  do  you  see  that  fellow  in  a  boat 
leaving  the  wharf?" 


A  STEAM  YACHT.  143 

"  Yes." 

"  What  a  tremendous  stroke  he    is   pull- 


ing!" 


"  Jiniminy  !  "  said  Harry ;  "  I  think  he  is 
coming  towards  us.  I  wonder  what 's  the 
matter ! " 

The  man  seemed  pulling  for  dear  life ;  in 
a  few  minutes  he  was  alongside. 

"  Do  you  want  any  help  ?  "  he  cried. 

"  No,  thank  you,"  said  Mr.  Shayback. 

"  Well,  I  thought  you  were  sinking,  you 
made  such  a  tooting  with  the  whistle." 

Mr.  Shayback  and  Harry  thanked  him, 
however,  as  warmly  as  though  he  had  saved 
their  lives,  and  a  week  or  two  later  they  re- 
warded him  by  buying  his  boat  at  a  price 
somewhat  more  than  she  was  worth ;  and 
when,  some  weeks  after,  at  the  regatta  at 
Magog,  Paul  Young  came  in  ahead  over  all 
competitors,  including  some  Montreal  oars- 
men, the  penitential  Avhistle  of  the  Nymph 
and  most  of  its  passengers  screamed  them- 
selves hoarse  with  congratulations. 


CHAPTER  X. 

NYMPHIC    NAVIGATION. 

The  Nymph  had  escaped  the  watery 
grave  which  threatened  her.  She  was  once 
more  seaworthy  and  ready  to  make  her  first 
voyage  to  the  United  States.  Medfield,  the 
other  member  of  the  International  Mem- 
phremagog  Steam  Navigation  Company,  was 
to  arrive  at  Newport  on  the  following  morn- 
ing with  the  rest  of  the  camp  party.  It  was 
fitting  that  the  steamer  should  be  there  to 
meet  them.  Returning  to  camp  after  stop- 
ping at  Georgeville  to  assure  the  inhabitants 
that  the  Nymph  still  lived,  we  took  in  a 
good  supply  of  fuel  and  set  out  in  the  after- 
noon for  Newport. 

The  yacht,  be  it  remembered,  was  a  British 
vessel,  and  had  never  before  entered  an  Amer- 
ican  port.     Harry  and  Mr.   Shayback,  who 


NYMPHIC  NAVIGATION.  145 

constituted  the  crow  on  this  occasion,  looked 
upon  this  event  as  one  of  the  most  important 
in  lier  history. 

Mr.  Shayhack  had  been  to  Newport  numy 
times  on  the  Lady  and  had  occasionally  as- 
sisted at  the  wheel.  There  is  a  dill'erence, 
however,  between  the  casual  passeng-er  and 
the  regular  pilot.  The  passeng;er  sees  the 
surface  of  the  water  ;  the  pilot  sees  the  river 
bottom  beneath.  He  acquires  a  knowledge 
of  its  topography;  he  knows  just  how  many 
feet  of  Avater  there  ouo^lit  to  be  under  his 
keel  at  any  given  place.  Mr.  Shayback  found 
that  such  knowledge  was  only  acquired  by 
experience. 

The  trip  from  Georgeville  to  Owl's  Head 
was  made  in  good  time.  The  navigators  were 
careful  to  keep  clear  of  the  reef  which  runs 
out  from  Molson's  Island.  They  avoided 
also  with  a  conscious  pride  the  shoal  water  olf 
Kound  Island.  In  an  exuberant  outbreak  of 
patriotism  they  ran  up  the  American  colors 
on  reachino;  the  boundary  line.  Everythiuii' 
Avas  going  beautifully  ;  the  engine  was  in  line 


146  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

running  order  ;  tlio  yacht  was  making  good 
time ;  they  eoidd  catch  a  ghmpse  of  Newport 
in  the  distance.  Within  a  few  nilh'S  of  this 
vilhige  is  a  beacon,  looking  very  much  Hke  a 
gallows,  standing  in  the  water  a  few  hundred 
yards  from  the  shore.  At  night  a  guiding 
lio-ht  for  the  mariner  is  hung:  from  it.  AVhen 
a  pilot  observes  such  a  beacon  far  out  in  the 
water  he  is  certain  that  it  means  somethinjr. 
It  means  that  he  shall  pass  on  one  side  or  the 
other ;  it  does  not  always  tell  which.  Mr. 
Shavback  had  often  seen  this  beacon  from 
the  Lady,  but  had  never  comprehended  its 
full  significance.  There  were  only  two 
courses  possible  to  the  Nymph  ;  one  was  to 
take  the  rij^ht  side  and  the  other  to  take  the 
left.  Not  knowing  which  was  preferable, 
Mr.  Shayback  concluded  to  follow  the  usual 
custom  on  American  country  roads.  His 
decision  to  pass  to  the  right  would  not  have 
been  at  fault  provided  he  had  been  going  in 
the  opposite  direction.  For  a  few  minutes 
the  steamer  seemed  entirely  satisfied  with  the 
decision.     But  it  was  not  long  before  Harry's 


NYMPIIIC  NAVIGATION.  147 

face  bej^an  to  wear  an  anxious  expression. 
He  used  his  oil-can  liherally  on  the  engine 
and  hjoked  seriously  at  the  iiie-hox,  which  was 
as  full  of  wood  as  it  could  hold. 

"What  is  the  matter?"  said  Mr.  Shay- 
back. 

"  She  is  stoppin<>',"  said  Harry. 

The  puffs  in  the  escape-pipe  grew  slower 
and  more  labored.  Mr.  Shayback  looked 
over  the  bow  ;  the  water  Avas  as  clear  as  a 
bell.  He  could  see  the  bottom  beneath.  He 
seized  a  boat-hook  and  plunged  it  into  the 
water. 

"  Stop  her,  Harry,"  he  shouted,  "  we  are 
on  the  mud  flats  !  " 

The  injunction  was  hardly  necessary ;  for 
the  engine  had  stopped  as  if  from  sheer  ex- 
haustion. The  situation  was  temporarily 
amusing,  but  it  would  rapidly  c(\ase  to  be  so 
unless  the  yacht  was  got  off.  Mr.  Shayback 
looked  behind  him.  There  was  the  Lady 
of  the  Lake  ;  and  there  also  the  Mountain 
Maid  and  yet  again  the  Newport ;  all  of  them 
but  a  few  miles  aw^ay  and  steaming  towards 


148  THE  SUA r BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

Newport.  Slioiild  the  stranded  Nyin])li  iViw^ 
out  a  siLi'iml  of  disti'css  and  u'ot  ono  of  tlR'sc 
steamers  to  j)idl  her  from  her  miry  l)ed  ?  It 
seemed  rather  hiimiliatlni>'  that  on  the  lirst 
voyage  to  the  United  States  they  shouhl  he 
compelled  to  ask  such  assistance.  Their  rep- 
utation as  navijjfators  was  at  stake.  Thev 
did  not  wish  to  he  seen  away  up  on  these 
mud  flats  with  the  American  flag  flying  at 
the  peak,  and  that  too  not  far  from  a  heacon 
which  was  expressly  erected  hy  the  United 
States  government  to  warn  them  off. 

Seizing  the  pole  again  they  drove  it  into 
the  sand  and  threw  all  their  weight  upon  it. 
The  steamer  did  not  budge.  The  engine  was 
reversed  and  once  more  the  stranded  seamen 
strained  at  the  pole  with  desperate  energy. 
The  combined  power  of  steam  and  muscle 
eventually  proved  triumphant. 

The  bad  luck  of  the  mariners  in  oettinii' 
on  the  flats  —  if  luck  is  the  proper  word  to 
use  in  this  case  —  was  only  equaled  by  their 
good  luck  in  getting  off.  When  Mr.  Shay- 
back  is  compelled  to  travel  overland  he  pre- 


NYMPIIIC  NAVIGATION.  149 

fcrs  to  do  it  on  somo  other  vchiclo  tli.ui  a 
steamboat.  lie  tried  the  overhmd  iiu'thod 
some  years  ai>()  on  the  Yellowstone  liivtT. 
The  upper  Missouri  steamer  always  earrles  a 
pair  o£  spars,  whieli  enable  it  to  walk  over  a 
bar  when  it  eainiot  sail  over  it.  Loeomotion 
is  not  rapid  under  sueli  cireiimstanees,  and  Mr. 
Shaybaek  recalls  one  trip  on  that  river,  in 
which,  owino;  to  the  laro'e  amount  ol  land 
and  the  small  quantity  of  water,  it  took  nine 
days  and  nights  to  go  a  hundred  miles.  The 
water  part  of  this  trip  was  rai)idly  executed  ; 
it  was  the  land  part  that  took  the  time.  The 
whole  constitution  and  make-up  of  the  Nymph, 
however,  was  such  that  she  was  much  better 
adapted  to  travel  by  water  than  by  any  other 
clement,  and  both  Harry  and  jNIr.  Shaybaek 
were  delighted  when  they  found  that  there 
was  again  plenty  of  water  beneath  her  thirsty 
keel.  Backing  into  the  channel,  they  started 
ahead  again  and  reached  Newport  withont 
fuither  accident. 

The  fact  that  the  principal  steamers  which 
constitute  the  merchant  marine  of  the    lake 


150  THE  SIIAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

were  coming  into  port  drew  a  crowd  to  the 
wharf,  among  them  a  numerous  and  unofficial 
delegation  from  the  hotel.  The  Lady,  the 
Maid,  and  the  Newport  were  familiar  sights 
to  the  onlookers,  but  the  little  Nymph,  puffing 
energetically  in  the  wake  of  the  other  steam- 
ers, was  a  new  advent.  The  fact  that  she 
carried  the  American  flag  at  her  masthead 
tended  to  secure  her  a  kindly  reception  from 
the  small  boys  on  the  wharf,  who  gladly  seized 
and  made  fast  the  scientific  bow  line  which 
Mr.  Shayback  threw  out. 

Although  we  were  actually  Americans  and 
were  setting  foot  upon  our  native  soil,  we 
were  metaphorically  foreigners.  At  least,  we 
were  the  owners  of  a  foreign  vessel,  and  it 
was  necessary  to  make  a  formal  representa- 
tion at  the  custom-house,  a  proceeding  which 
invested  the  Nymph  and  her  owners  with  new 
dignity. 

The  foresight  of  the  builders  of  ihis  little 
craft  had  not  provided  it  with  a  state-room, 
but  tying  her  up  for  the  night  in  a  quiet, 
sheltered  place,  drawing  down  the  awnings 


NYMPHIC  NAVIGATION.  151 

and  extemporizin<^  some  bunkers,  Harry  and 
Mr.  Sliayback  had  a  g"ood  night's  rest  and  in 
the  morning  a  prosperous  return  voyage  to 
camp  with  the  rest  of  the  party. 

Durino;  the  course  of  the  four  weeks  Avhich 
constituted  the  camp  season,  the  Nymph  in 
the  first  year  of  her  career  with  the  Shay- 
hacks  ran  six  hundred  and  fifty  miles.  In 
that  time  she  scraped  her  keel,  butted  her 
nose  on  the  wharf,  ran  aground  on  the  fiats, 
blew  out  her  whistle-pipe  from  the  top  of  her 
boiler,  "  picked  up  "  several  buoys  and  dex- 
terously twisted  their  lines  around  the  pro- 
peller, and  encountered  several  extremely 
severe  gales;  but  the  little  boat  lived  through 
all  her  adversities  and  sustained  only  super- 
ficial injuries. 

The  most  serious  event  in  her  history  w\as 
due  to  a  second  interference  with  that  same 
dilapidated  Georgeville  wharf.  The  party 
oil  board  consisted  of  Medfield,  with  his  wife 
and  two  children ;  a  former  editor  of  the 
"Christian  Union,"  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shay- 
back.     Just  as  we  were  moving  away  from 


152  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

the  wharf  a  projecting  log  caught  in  the 
awning  frame  and  forced  it  violently  against 
the  whistle-pipe,  which  cracked  close  to  the 
boiler.  Medfitld  stopped  the  engine  imme- 
diately. 

"  It 's  all  up,"  he  said  to  Mr.  Shayback,  in 
a  whisper. 

The  yacht  was  hauled  back  to  the  wharf, 
and  the  ladies  and  children  landed.  A  jet 
of  steam  issued  from  the  cracked  joint. 

*^  Perhaps  the  joint  is  only  loosened,"  said 
Mr.  Shayback.  "  Let  me  bear  against  the 
pipe  with  this  stick  while  you  try  it  with  the 
Stillson  wrench." 

Medfield  seized  the  wrench  and  gave  the 
pipe  a  powerful  twist.  It  broke  short  off  at 
the  top  of  the  boiler,  and  the  steam,  at  a  pres- 
sure of  eighty  pounds,  burst  forth  with  a 
friofhtful  and  indescribable  roar.  Both  Med- 
field  and  Mr.  Shayback  had  a  narrow  escape 
from  being  scalded.  Medfield,  with  his  usual 
presence  of  mind,  dropped  to  the  bottom  of 
the  boat  and  drew  the  fire  from  under  the 
boiler.       The    noise    of   the   escaping   steam 


NYMPHIC  XAVIGATION.  153 

could  have  been  heard  miles  away.  It  threw 
Gcorgeville  into  a  state  of  temporary  conster- 
nation. A  few  weeks  before  the  inhabitants 
thong'ht  the  Nymph  had  oone  down ;  now  it 
was  reported  that  she  had  <;"one  up.  But 
when  the  deafeninj^  noise  had  su])sided  and 
the  clouds  of  steam  had  passed  away,  she  was 
all  there,  and  the  broken  whistle-pipe  was  the 
only  evidence  of  damag'e. 

Yet,  under  the  circumstances  this  was 
serious  enough.  Medfield  and  his  family  had 
embarked  on  the  Nymph,  expecting*  to  take 
the  night  train  from  Newport  to  Boston,  but 
here  was  an  accident  which  might  lay  iier  up 
for  two  or  three  days  until  a  skilled  mechanic 
could  come  to  our  relief,  the  small  resources 
of  Georgeville  being  inadequate  for  such  an 
emergency.  It  was  then,  however,  that  the 
su[)erb  mechanical  genius  of  Medfield  came 
into  play.  He  inspected  the  hole  in  the 
boiler  with  a  critical  eye.  The  few  tools  that 
we  carried  consisted  mainly  of  a  hammer, 
cold  chisel,  iiles,  and  the  invaluable  Stillson 
wrench.      With   the   hammer  and    chisel   he 


154  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

succeeded  in  dexterously  cutting  out  tlie  piece 
of  broken  pipe  in  the  boiler  head  without 
injuring  the  thread  into  which  it  had  been 
screwed.  We  had  no  extra  pipe  with  us. 
The  broken  whistle-pipe  was  composed  of  two 
or  three  joints,  to  one  of  which  the  gauge 
was  attached.  Mi'dfield's  quick  eye  saw  how 
these  lengths  might  be  taken  apart  and 
recombined.  It  was  then  that  the  Stillson 
wrench  proved  a  friend  indeed,  but  it  needed 
Medfield's  magnificent  muscle  to  invest  it 
Avith  authority.  The  old  joints  were  unfas- 
tened ;  a  new  end  was  screwed  into  the  boiler, 
and  by  ingenious  combinations  of  different 
lengths  the  wliistle-pii)e  was  reinstated  and 
the  gauge  restored  to  its  responsible  position. 
It  took  but  half  an  hour  to  do  it.  It  took 
another  half  hour  to  get  up  steam  again,  and 
thus  within  an  hour  from  the  time  of  the 
accident  which  threatened  to  detain  the 
Nymph  tv>'0  or  three  days  at  Georgeville,  she 
had  cast  off  her  lines  and,  after  a  fresh  and 
exultant  scream  v.itli  her  whistle,  proudly 
steamed  toward  Newport. 


NYMPHIC  NAVIGATION.  155 

No  one  but  the  owner  of  a  steam  yaelit, 
Avlio  enjoys  the  privilege  of  running-  her  him- 
self and  helping  her  out  of  all  her  distresses, 
can  appreciate  the  exhilaration  which  such 
ovrnership  imparts.  The  exigencies  that  arise 
give  but  a  new  zest  to  the  enjoyment.  The 
man  who  owns  a  yacht  so  large  that  he  must 
have  a  trained  engineer  and  a  trained  captain 
to  manage  it  is  little  more  than  a  passenger 
on  his  own  craft. 

The  possession  of  this  steam  yacht  had  an 
important  influence  upon  feminine  education. 
For  the  whole  of  one  season  the  duties  of 
engineer  devolved  upon  Mr.  Shay  back  and 
the  responsible  position  of  pilot  fell  to  ^Irs. 
Shayback.  The  engineer  recalls  with  pecul- 
iar satisfaction  various  scenes  in  which  fem- 
inine skill  in  navigation  was  beautifully  dis- 
played. The  Nymph  being  a  private  boat 
had  full  liberty  to  run  upon  the  rocks,  break 
her  nose  on  the  wharf,  blow  up,  or  sink,  as 
her  caprice  might  determine.  Neither  the 
captain  nor  the  engineer  was  recpiired  to  have 
a  government   license  for  such   indulgences. 


156  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

The  question  which  awhile  ago  agitated  the 
United  States,  as  to  whether  a  woman  who  is 
perfectly  able  to  perform  the  duties  of  pilot 
on  the  Mississippi  River  should  be  allowed  a 
commission  after  her  husband's  death,  did 
not  come  up  at  Memphremagog.  Mrs.  Shay- 
back,  without  asking  leave  of  President  or 
Queen,  simply  took  her  place  at  the  wheel 
and  pointed  the  Nymph  in  the  way  she  should 
go.  In  a  short  time  she  could  make  a  land- 
ing with  as  much  skill  as  any  captain  on  the 
lake.  She  became  familiar  with  such  of  the 
rocks,  ledges,  and  shoals  as  sustained  a  threat- 
ening relation  to  the  keel  of  the  boat.  For 
an  entire  week  at  the  close  of  the  camjjing 
season,  Mr.  Shayback  was  the  only  man  left 
in  the  depleted  company.  He  was,  as  the 
Germans  say,  a  "Hahn  im  Korbe."  Mrs. 
Shayback,  Pusskin,  and  two  lady  campers 
constituted  his  social,  and  perhaps  it  may  as 
well  be  confessed,  his  governmental  environ- 
ment. Notwithstanding  this  preponderance 
of  female  voters,  neither  the  tension  of  cam}) 
duties,  nor  the  heroic  character  of  camp  rec- 


NYMPH  10  NAVIGAriON.  157 

reatlons  was  at  all  relaxed.  That  demoral- 
izatiun  wliieh  is  sometimes  supposed  to  come 
■with  woman  suirrage  was  not  experienced. 
Eveiything  went  on  with  equanimity  and 
good  order  both  on  land  and  at  sea.  The 
navy  department  was  administered  with  nau- 
tical skill ;  the  treasury  d('i)artment  v,itli 
financial  ability  ;  and  the  interior  department 
with  the  genius  Avhich  has  always  distin- 
guished its  operations. 

A  })leasant  way  of  using  the  Nymph  under 
this  administration  was  to  start  oil:  in  the 
morning  for  an  excursion  to  some  distant 
})oint  and  return  at  nightfall.  A  round  trip 
of  twenty-five  miles  made  to  Fitch  Bay  in 
this  way  comes  vividly  to  mind.  The  beau- 
tiful amber  day,  the  calm,  clear  water,  —  as 
peaceful  as  that  which  is  mirrored  in  the 
twenty-third  Psalm ;  the  cruise  among  the 
islands :  the  vovaii'O  un  the  ])av  iiiiarded  with 
forests  and  waHed  with  hills ;  the  heron 
which  spread  his  broad  wings  and  hovered 
over  the  vessel  ;  the  refreshing  bath ;  iha 
delightful  meal  on  a  bold   rock  beyond  the 


158  THE  SUA  y BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

Narrows,  all  come  into  focus  ajicain  with  that 
unfadnij^  color  which  is  not  easily  washed  out 
of  our  recolk'ciion  of  a  good  time.  But  there 
is  one  experience  of  the  day  which  always 
comes  into  the  foreground  ;  it  was  the  pas- 
saji'e  over  the  har.  The  Shavhacks  had  heen 
warned  of  its  existence,  and  that  on  account 
of  the  low  Avater  it  mio-ht  be  difficult  to  cross. 
Arriving  at  the  mouth  of  the  hay  the  ardor 
of  the  busy  little  engine  Avas  cautiously  mod- 
erated, and  the  pilot  kept  a  sharp  lookout. 
It  was  almost  impossible,  however,  to  deter- 
mine the  channel  simply  by  the  eye,  and  in 
a  short  time  the  Nym})h  had  run  lightly 
aground.  The  ladies  had  no  idea,  however, 
of  staying  there.  Mr.  Shayback's  duties  as 
engineer  required  his  presence  at  the  engine. 
Nor  was  there  any  necessity  for  him  to  aban- 
don his  post,  for  jNIrs.  Shayback,  with  her 
keen  zest  for  exploration,  took  the  tender 
and  went  ahead  to  search  for  the  channel. 
Arline,  taking  the  boat-hook,  stood  in  tlie 
bow  of  the  steamer  and  made  soundinos. 
The  tiller  was  temporarily  intrusted  to  Zer- 


NYMPIIIC  NAVIGATION.  159 

Una,  wlio  was  without  previous  experience  in 
manaj^ini;*  it.  Coi3[)erative  navi^'ation  was 
the  only  kind  here  that  promised  any  success. 
Mrs.  Shayhack,  with  the  pih)t's  instinct  for 
findin*^  deep  water,  soon  discovered  the  chan- 
nel. But  at  best  the  depth  of  water  on  the 
bar  was  small.  When  Mrs.  Shayback  waved 
her  invitation  to  proceed,  Arline,  from  the 
bow  of  the  Nymph,  plunged  her  pole  into  the 
sand  and  reported  the  depth,  while  jNIr.  Shay- 
back, with  his  hand  on  the  valve,  stopped 
and  started  as  occasion  required,  and  shouted 
''  starboard  "  and  "  port  "  to  Zerlina  at  the 
helm.  The  meaning  of  these  terms  was  rap- 
idly acquired ;  but  being  a  young  lady  of 
positive  character  she  made  no  half-way  work 
with  the  tiller.  Her  sense  of  freedom  in  con- 
trolling it  was  equal  to  her  sense  of  respon- 
sibility. If  "  port "  was  called,  she  gave  all 
the  port  the  tiller  would  permit.  To  correct 
the  threatening  deviation  of  the  bow,  it  was 
immediately  necessary  to  shout  ''  starboard," 
when  the  tiller  was  swunc^  to  the  other  ex- 
treme.      This  decision  of   character  on   the 


IGO  THE  SII AY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

part  of  Zerllna  gave  a  certain  indecision  to 
the  course  of  the  Ijoat ;  but  Arline's  pole  was 
as  good  as  another  rudder  at  the  bow.  By 
the  combined  skill  of  these  hidies  and  the 
facility  with  which  they  worked  in  opposition 
to  each  other,  the  Nymph  was  finally  zig- 
zagged over  the  bar. 

Memphremagog  shares  the  inconstancy  of 
all  mountain-walled  lakes.  It  is  a  iine  play- 
ground for  the  winds.  One  can  never  tell 
when  they  may  skip  down  from  the  mountains 
and  break  that  glass  mirror  into  a  million 
ripples,  or  roll  it  into  foam-crested  billows. 
A  little  too  sportive  we  think  these  winds  for 
a  sail-boat,  but  the  Nymph  carried  no  sail, 
and  was  so  stanch  that  the  wildest  storm  was 
not  feared  during  the  daylight  so  long  as  her 
machinery  was  in  order.  But  occasionally  the 
party  was  belated,  and  camp  was  not  made 
until  after  darkness  had  settled  over  the  lake. 
The  rocks  and  ledi»x's  around  our  little  cove 
were  so  dangerous  that  one  needed  to  be  per- 
fectly familiar  with  the  entrance  to  pilot  the 
Nymph  safely  to  her  anchorage. 


NYMPIIIC  NA  Via  A  Tl  ON.  1  ( >  I 

Durlni^  the  last  year  in  which  the  yaclit 
leiiiaiiied  in  the  possession  of  the  Shayhacks, 
it  was  made  a  rule  to  return  to  cain[)  hy  sun- 
down. This  rule,  of  course,  was  broken  on 
the  very  first  trip.  Two  ladies  from  LiM)min- 
ster,  Massachusetts,  had  made  one  of  their  ten 
annual  summer  drives  through  New  Kni;l;ind 
in  a  bug-gy.  This  time  they  had  crossed  the 
Canada  line  and  surprised  the  Shaybacks  in 
their  camp.  Ladies  who  could  take  together 
a  round  trip  of  live  hundred  miles  in  a  bug'i^y 
did  not  have  any  fear  about  trustini*'  their 
safety  to  a  steam  yacht.  An  invitation  to 
take  a  trip  to  Magog'  and  back,  twenty  miles 
in  all,  was  promptly  accepted  ;  and  wlu>n  the 
time  for  wooding-up  came,  the  ladies  carried 
their  full  share  of  sticks  and  insisted  on  try- 
ino*  the  buck  and  saw.  A  new  ash  row-boat 
had  been  ordered  for  our  naw.  She  was 
built  at  Lawrenceville,  Canada,  and  was  to 
come  by  rail  to  Magog.  It  was  poetically  as- 
sumed by  Mr.  Shayback  that  these  enterpris- 
ing ladies  had  come  two  hundred  and  iifty 
miles  in  a  buggy  to  witness  the  launching. 


1G2  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

Delay  was  cxporloneed  in  staitlnj^,  and 
airain  at  jMaLiou*.  A  visit  to  the  viliai»o  con- 
suniod  additional  time.  When  finally  the 
Garlield  was  tiinniphantly  lannehed  and 
liitched  to  the  Nvmidi  it  was  evident  that  if 
the  engine  did  its  ntniost  we  eonld  not  reach 
camp  before  dark.  Mrs.  Shay  back  took  the 
helm  as  usnal,  which  is  a  warrant  that  no  S's 
were  Avritten  on  the  lake  with  the  rndder  ; 
and  Islv.  Shayback  did  all  that  oil  and  wood 
permitted  to  keep  np  the  speed  of  the  engine. 
It  was  a  race  with  the  snnsot.  Bnt  we  were 
too  heavily  handicai)ped.  If  we  lost  no  time 
it  was  clearly  impossible  to  gain  any.  Neither 
Josluia  nor  Ilezekiah  Avas  available  to  lenothen 
the  d;iy  for  onr  benefit.  Before  v,e  had 
reached  Lord's  Island  the  sun  was  far  gone 
behind  the  hills.  The  day  had  been  mate- 
rially shortened  by  the  heavy  clouds  which 
had  been  all  the  time  gathering  overhead,  and 
growing  blacker  and  blacker.  There  were 
fire  and  water,  thunder  and  wind,  in  those 
sullen,  inky  masses.  With  no  moon,  and  not 
a  ray  of   starlight,  it  was  not  safe  to  run  at 


NYMPIIIC  NAVIGATION.  103 

full  s])ee(l.  Tho  (Liikness  bcMMine  so  thick 
tliat  Mr.  Sli;iybii('k  taiiclcd  it  inijxMlcMl  the 
pi'o^Toss  of  tho  boat.  The  canii)  had  hcen 
left  entliely  unnihahited.  As  a  matter  of 
preeaution  a  red  lantern,  the  usual  iiii;iit  sio-- 
nal,  had  h(H>n  lighted  and  hung  in  its  plaee 
on  the  point  before  we  set  out  in  the  after- 
noon. Had  the  lantern  been  burning  osi  the 
shore  either  Mrs.  Shaybaek  or  her  husl)and 
could  have  taken  the  boat  into  the  harbor  as 
easily  as  Captain  Fogg  put  the  L;uly  in  at 
Newport.  But  the  lamp  chimney  had  par- 
taken of  the  general  blackness,  and  tin;  wick, 
as  it  was  afterwards  found,  had  smoked  itself 
out.  All  that  we  could  do  was  to  feel  our 
way.  The  black  mass  of  cedars  and  hem- 
locks  rose  like  a  dark  wall  on  the  east  side  of 
the  lake.  But  the  five  white  birches  on  the 
camp  point  could  not  be  discerned.  There 
was  only  one  way  in  which  we  could  a})proxl- 
mately  determine  the  location  of  our  camp, 
and  that  was  by  the  outline  of  the  hill-tops, 
the  curves  of  which  could  still  be  distino'uished 
through    the    clouds   above.       The    Nymph, 


164  THE  SIIAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

by  this  time,  wo  jiulgetl,  was  about  a  mile 
south  01  Lord's  Islaud.  But  the  rudder  Avas 
perplexed  and  the  engine  cautious.  Not  a 
single  glimmer  on  the  east  shore  ;  only  the 
sky  line  rose  and  fell  with  the  curving  and 
swellinjx  o£  the  hills.  On  the  v.est  shore,  a 
mile  and  a  half  across  the  lake,  opposite  the 
camp,  is  the  ruin  of  a  sawmill.  Two  or  three 
French  families  still  live  in  the  adjacent  cot- 
tages, and  make  a  precarious  living  by  fishing 
and  small  farmin<»:.  Once  u'et  the  bearino's 
of  the  sawmill  and  the  Shaybacks  knew  well 
the  diagonal  which  would  brini»'  them  to  the 
camp  cove.  The  official  lighthouses  with 
which  the  lake  is  provided  were  too  far  away 
to  be  of  any  use  in  finding  the  harbor.  A 
sing-le  gleam  from  a  cottage  by  the  sawmill 
w^ould  be  worth  all  the  lighthouses  on  the 
lake.  Our  pilot  strained  her  sky-blue  eyes  — 
the  only  sky-blue  there  was  in  that  darkness 
—  towards  the  west  shore  where  the  dim  line 
of  Black  Rock  rose  like  a  battlement.  To 
the  left  of  that  clilf  must  be  the  sawmill  cove. 
If  wo  were  to  get  any  light  it  must  come  from 
that  bay. 


NYMPIIIC  NAVIGATION.  165 

A  swarm  of  lurid  sparks  rose  from  the 
smoke-stack,  and  ghostlike  piiirs  of  steam 
rhythmically  shot  into  the  air  from  the  ex- 
haust pipe,  as  the  yacht  slowly  cut  the  dark- 
ness with  her  prow.  It  was  a  weird  and  awful 
night,  and  under  its  iniluence  the  voyage  lost 
some  of  its  character  as  a  pleasure  trip.  Yet 
there  was  a  strano-e  fascination  in  the  uncer- 
tainty  and  danger  of  the  situation.  The  very 
darkness,  thick  with  foreboding,  demanded  a 
new  keenness  in  the  eve,  a  new  steadiness  in 
the  hand.  Everything  depended,  in  the  first 
place,  on  the  fidelity  o£  the  engine,  and  Mr. 
Shayback,  hy  the  aid  of  a  lantern,  watched 
each  coupling,  bolt,  and  screw,  with  exacting 
vigilance.  lie  knew  that  the  rudder  was  in 
go  d  hands,  and  that  no  keener  eye  could 
^epiuh  the  mystery  of  the  darkness. 

It  was  a  little  pencil  of  light  that  tunneled 
its  way  through  the  gloom  and  kindled  i.ie 
pilot's  eye. 

"  The  sawmill  !  The  sawmill  !  "  she 
shouted. 

All  eyes  were  strained  into  the  darkness. 


166  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP, 

A  sing^le  glimmer  of  light  shone  from  the 
west  shore.  Steiidily  it  burned,  as  if  it  were 
a  stiir  that  had  set  in  the  woods. 

Ah,  my  good  Frenehman  !  we  thank  you 
for  your  beaeon.  You  lighted  your  lamp  at 
the  evenino'  meal.  You  are  comfortahlv  smok- 
ing  your  pipe,  or  chatting  with  the  children,  or 
reading  a  paper  a  week  old.  You  do  not  know 
how  far  that  little  candle  —  or  was  it  a  kero- 
sene lamp  ?  —  casts  its  beams,  and  how  wel- 
come it  is  to  the  nioht-bound,  storm-threatened 
mariners.  You  did  not  know  when  you  lighted 
tile  wick  that  you  would  light  a  pair  of  blue 
eves,  and  perhaps  some  faintly  blue  hearts 
upon  the  lake.  1  leave  it  to  the  casuists  to 
determine  whether  the  Frenchman  is  entitled 
to  any  credit  for  the  benefit  of  an  action 
whose  indirect  results  he  did  not  contemplate, 
and  for  an  influence  which  he  is  still  uncon- 
scious he  exerted.  But  we  easily  forgive,  and 
even  connnend,  that  form  of  selfishness  which, 
while  it  serves  the  doer's  pleasure,  brings 
guidance  and  comfort  to  others.  Far  better 
thnn  the  sern^  in  which  Mr.  Shay  back  preached 


NYMPIIIC  XAVIdATIOX.  1G7 

on  the  next  day  was  tliat  which  oleamed 
from  the  Frenchman 's  hunp.  ''  Let  your 
YvAxt  so  shine  before  men  that  tliey  may  see 
your  good  works." 

The  moment  Mrs.  Shayback  saw  that  iiaiid- 
ing  llg'ht  she  put  the  hehn  to  star1)oard  and 
l)rou<>]it  the  stern  within  its  rano-e.  It'  wo 
couhl  not  steer  by  a  hglit  ahead  we  coukl 
steer  by  one  astern.  Slowly  we  steamed 
across  the  lake  on  the  pathway  of  that  lileam. 

As  the  dark  outline  of  the  forests  on  the 
east  shore  became  more  distinct  the  engine 
was  cautiously  shut  down  at  a  safe  distance. 
Mr.  Shayback  could  not  leave  his  euiilne,  nor 
his  wife  the  wheel.  The  tender  was  un- 
hitched, and  Ignatio,  the  only  other  gentle- 
man in  the  party  of  seven,  who  was  making 
his  first  voyage  that  day  on  the  Nym[)h, 
took  a  lantern  and  went  ashore.  We  had  no 
time  to  lose.  The  wind  was  risiug  in  the 
forest.  Thrice  welcome  was  his  voice  when 
it  reached  us  with  a  reassurlnii'  cr\'.  lie  had 
landed,  found  the  camp,  and  in  a  few  minutes 
the  signal  lantern  was  shining  on  the  point. 


168  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

Well  done,  Mrs.  Shaybaek,  you  have  brouglit 
her  strai<»'lit  to  the  mo  nth  of  the  eove. 

Yet  Ave  are  right  over  some  of  the  worst 
ledges  ill  the  lake.  Unless  our  pilot  knows 
just  what  that  light  means,  we  are  worse  oif 
than  ever.  Ai>-nosticism  will  not  do  here. 
But  Mrs.  Shaybaek  knows  that  Bedroom 
Point  lies  to  the  left,  with  its  long  roeky 
tono'ue  :  that  Bastard  Rock  is  standinof  two 
inehes  out  of  water  to  the  ri^ht,  though  she 
cannot  see  the  flag  on  the  huoy.  Once  more 
the  propeller  lashes  the  water.  Port  goes  the 
helm.  "  Steady."  ''  Hard  a  starboard." 
"  Port  again."  ''  Shut  her  down."  IMr. 
Shaybaek  skips  forward  to  the  bow.  There 
is  a  loud  splash  in  the  water,  a  rattle  of  chain. 
The  anchor  is  over.  We  are  safe  in  our  cove. 
Hardly  had  we  got  the  ladies  ashore  in  the 
tender  than  one  of  the  most  teriific  storms  of 
that  season  broke  on  the  lake  Avith  majestic 
violence.  But  the  campers  were  safe  Avithin 
their  tents.  More  than  once  during  the  night 
Mr.  Shaybaek  Avas  down  on  the  beach  Avatch- 
ing  the  tussle  betAveen  the  Nymph  and  the 


NYMPHIC  NAVIGATION.  169 

storm,  which  continued  until  seven  or  eisrht 
o'clock  the  next  morning  ;  but  the  anchor 
had  a  iirm  grip  in  the  sand,  and  some  bhick- 
smith  had  put  his  conscience  into  the  chain. 

There  is  one  element  o£  mystery  in  the 
sequel  to  that  trip  which  is  tenderly  submit- 
ted to  our  readers.  Our  Leominster  ladies 
on  account  of  the  storm  were  obliged  to 
spend  the  night  in  camp  instead  of  returning 
to  the  hotel  in  George ville  as  they  had  ex- 
pected to  do.  The  same  cause  which  pre- 
vented them  from  going  that  night  to  George- 
ville  prevented  us  from  getting  any  supplies 
from  the  village  for  our  Sunday  dinner. 
There  was  no  meat  for  our  guests.  There 
was  a  beautiful  aquarium  in  front  of  our 
camp  well  stocked  with  voracious  perch ;  but 
it  was  Sunday. 

Mr.  Shayback  was  permitted  to  retire  to 
his  study  in  the  woods  to  prepare  himself  for 
the  church  service  at  eleven  o'clock.  As  he 
left  the  beach  he  noticed  that  a  row-boat 
with  oome  ladies  in  it  left  the  shore.  Two 
horns  later  the  horn  was  sounded  for  the  ser- 


170  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

vice  in  the  grove  chapel,  and  all  the  campers 
being  present  Mr.  Shayback  preached  his  ser- 
mon. There  was  nothing  remarkable  in  this  ; 
but  when  the  dinner  call  was  sounded  later 
in  the  day  a  fine  mess  of  fish  appeared  upon 
the  table,  and  Mr.  Shayback  offered  thanks, 
and  ate,  asking  no  questions  for  conscience' 
sake. 

I  leave  it  to  the  society  for  Psychical  Re- 
search to  determine  how  the  fish  got  there. 
Mr.  Shayback's  theory  is  that  they  fell  from 
heaven  in  the  storm  of  the  previous  night, 
but  that  angel  hands  were  still  needed  to 
hook  them  out  of  the  waters  beneath. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

SPOON  AND  SINKER. THE    SCIENCE    OF    IT. 

To  the  Sliaybacks  the  chiirms  of  Lake 
Memphremagog  have  proved  to  be  a  pro- 
gressive revelation.  Each  year  has  brought 
its  own  zest.  It  is  Avithout  any  corroding 
sense  of  regret  that  Mr.  Shayback  confesses 
that  for  the  first  four  years  of  his  stay  at 
Memphremagog  he  was  a  stranger  to  the 
charms  of  the  spoon  and  sinker.  The  two 
years  spent  with  the  steam  yacht  demand  no 
reparation  from  any  other  enjoyment.  The 
other  years  had  their  own  novelties  and  ex- 
citements. Mr.  Shayback's  ignorance  in  re- 
gard to  the  spoon  and  sinker  was  shared  at 
that  time  by  the  whole  community.  The 
spoon  Avas  well  known  to  the  fishernuMi,  the 
sinker  was  no  stranger,  but  the  condjination 
that  I  am  about  to  describe  had  not  then 
been  introduced. 


172  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

Of  the  various  fish  which  inhabit  the 
waters  of  Meniphreinagot^  pickerel,  shad- 
waiters,  pout,  bass,  lunge,  and  perch,  the 
last  two  most  engage  attention  during  the 
cain})ing  season.  Pickerel  were  formerly  very 
abundant ;  and  are  still  caught  in  diminished 
numbers  in  Fitch  Bay  and  elsewhere  by  those 
who  know  how.  Bass  have  only  recently 
been  put  into  the  lake,  but  are  gaining  in 
numbers  every  year.  The  perch  were  intro- 
duced about  a  dozen  years  ago,  and  have 
multiplied  Avitli  remarkable  rapidity.  The 
native  dwellers  on  the  lake  are  inclined  to  re- 
gard the  stocking  of  its  waters  with  perch  as 
an  unmixed  evil.  It  is  a  popular  impression 
that  the  perch  eat  the  young  of  the  lunge, 
and  thus  contribute  to  decimate  the  nobler 
fish.  The  "  lunge,"  as  it  is  popularly  called, 
is  a  true  species  of  lake  trout  {Sahiio  con- 
Jinis)o  It  is  found  in  four  marked  varieties, 
known  to  the  fishermen  as  the  black,  the  sil- 
ver, the  gray,  and  the  copper  lunge.  In 
Memphremagog  they  range  in  weight  from 
one  to  twenty  pounds,  though  there  is  a  well- 


SPOON  AND  SINKER.  173 

attested  instance  of  a  forty  pounder  among- 
the  salted-down  traditions  of  the  lake.  The 
name  "  lunge  "  is  probably  a  corruption  of 
masqu'allonge  (often  spelled  muskallonge  and 
muscalonge,  and  converted  by  lishermen  into 
niaskinonge),  founded  possibly  on  a  supposed 
relationship  of  this  fish  with  the  kd^e  trout. 
But  the  families  are  entirely  diiferent.  The 
muscalouiie  is  not  found  in  Memi)hreniai''o<>;. 
The  name  "  lunge,"  however,  has  become  so 
securely  fastened  to  the  Memi)hrema<i;;()i>'  lake 
trout  that  it  is  of  no  use  to  try  to  remove  it. 
We  humbly  bow  to  the  necessity,  and  respect- 
inn-  the  custom  of  the  lake  will  use  the  com- 
iiion  term  instead  of  the  scientific  one. 

For  perch  fisliing  JMr.  Shayback  confesses 
that  he  has  no  enthusiasm.  The  operation 
of  dismembering  a  grasshopper  or  transfixing 
a  wriggling  worm  is  not  poetic  or  agreeable. 
Perch  seldom  tempt  the  rod  of  the  natives ; 
but  when  one  of  the  editors  of  a  prominent 
Boston  daily  and  his  wife  go  to  Memphrema- 
gog  for  a  two  weeks'  vacation  the  perch  al- 
ways hear  of  their  arrival.     A  thousand  fish 


174  THE  SIl AY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

causflit  ill  two  woolvs  with  the  assistance  of 
another  companion  is  a  well  veriiied  achieve- 
ment. Skinned  and  dressed  the  })erch  makes 
a  good  pan-iish ;  hoiled  and  boned  it  fur- 
nishes a  delightful  chowder.  The  exigencies 
of  the  camp  larder  sometimes  require  a  draft 
of  these  fish.  In  such  cases  the  children  are 
only  too  glad  to  organize  an  expedition  for 
their  capture.  They  simply  need  to  row  un- 
der the  shadow  of  the  great  clill'  to  iind  one 
of  the  best  fishing-places  on  the  lake. 

For  Mr.  Shayback,  however^  the  excite- 
ment of  catching  them  is  too  transient.  No 
sooner  is  a  sudden  twinge  on  the  line  felt 
than  the  voracious  perch  is  Avhipped  into  the 
boat.  The  hook  is  rebaited  and  dropped  as 
a  new  lure.  There  is  no  running  of  the  line, 
no  conflict  of  the  emotions,  no  vibrations 
between  hope  and  doubt,  culminating  in  sad 
disappointment  or  triumphant  exultation.  It 
is  merely  a  series  of  atavcato  beats  on  nerve 
sensation. 

As  for  the  lunge,  they  were  acknowledged 
to  be  scarce  in  the  month  of  August,  and  Mr, 


SPOON  AND  SINKER.  175 

Sliiiyl)ack  for  a  lonji^  time  ro2^ar(le(l  tliom  as 
the  prize  only  of  the  prol'cssloiial  lishcrinan. 
The  method  they  adopteil  had  Few  attraetioiis 
for  hhn.  To  catch  your  hmj^e  it  was  neces- 
sary first  to  catch  your  minnows.  At  various 
l)hices  on  the  hdte  where  exi)erience  dictated 
the  fishermen  had  fixed  buoys  by  tying-  bark 
rope  to  logs  or  boards,  and  anchoring  them 
with  heavy  stones.  Fastening  his  boat  to 
one  of  these  buoys  the  fisherman  phiced  a 
minnow  on  his  hook  and  dropped  about 
eiglity  feet  of  line.  There  were  days  in  the 
early  history  of  lunge  fishing  when  this 
method  was  promptly  rewarded.  The  fish 
were  plentiful  and  they  Ijit  well.  But  such 
mordant  experiences  when  Ave  carne  to  Mem- 
phremagog  were  only  a  matter  of  tradition. 
It  was  not  uncommon  for  the  fisherman  to  sit 
all  day  in  his  boat  without  getting  a  bite. 
Visions  still  pass  before  my  eyes  of  old  Colo- 
nel Burbank,  with  his  invariable  nightcap  on, 
sittinof  in  the  stern  of  his  anchored  skiff,  hold- 
ing  his  line  with  an  infinite  patience  from 
morn  till  sundown. 


176  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

In  the  summer  of  1882  a  more  tempting 
contrast  was  furnished  to  this  picture.  It 
was  noticed  that  a  certain  fisherman  seemed 
to  be  blessed  with  unusual  success.  Day  after 
day  he  returned  to  Georgeville  with  from  ten 
to  forty  pounds  of  the  coveted  fish.  Every 
morning  as  the  Lady  landed  at  the  wharf  he 
met  her  with  a  string  of  lunge  which  excited 
the  envy  of  all  beholders.  Some  of  them 
weighed  from  fifteen  to  twenty  pounds.  The 
old  fishermen,  on  the  other  hand,  returned 
with  empty  boats.  The  phenomenon  was  a 
mystery  to  them.  The  use  of  the  seine  at  that 
season  of  the  year  is  prohibited ;  but  one  of 
the  disappointed  fishermen  expressed  to  Mr. 
Shayback  his  confident  suspicion  that  Frank 
Merriman  used  a  "  leetle  net."  The  speaker 
meant  to  have  it  known  that  he  at  least  could 
not  be  caught  napping.  There  was  a  double 
charge  of  sarcasm  packed  into  the  word  "  lee- 
tle." It  assumed  that  anybody  could  do  as 
well  as  Frank  if  he  used  such  disreputable 
means.  Meanwhile  Merriman  leisurely  puffed 
his  pipe,  sold  his  fish  at  twenty  cents  a  pound, 


SPOON  AND  SINKER.  177 

and  kept  his  own  counsel.  It  was  not  an  un- 
common thing  for  the  successful  fisherman  to 
run  into  the  cove  near  Bedroom  Point  at 
noon,  draw  his  boat  into  the  shade,  eat  his 
lunch,  get  a  drink  from  the  spring,  and  take 
a  nap. 

"Pretty,  ain't  they?"  he  said  one  day,  as 
he  held  up  a  pair  of  ten-pounders  which 
would  bring  four  dollars  and  forty  cents  the 
next  morning  at  the  Lady.  Mr.  Shayback 
was  forced  to  confess  that  such  fish  were 
worth  catching. 

Mr.  Merriman  took  out  a  match  and  lighted 
his  pipe.  His  voice  assumed  a  confidential 
tone ;  his  face  was  beaming  with  generos- 
ity. 

"  Mr.  Shayback,"  he  said,  "  you  can  catch 
these  fish  just  as  well  as  T  can,  and  if  you 
have  a  few  minutes  to  spare  I  will  show  you 
how." 

Mr.  Shayback  Avas  self-distrustful,  but  cu- 
rious to  see  the  new  wrinkle.  The  fisher- 
man sat  down  on  a  stone  and  his  disciple  sat 
down  beside  him  with  expectant  docility.    He 


178  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

took  from  his  boat  a  long  reel  of  line  with  a 
shiny  spoon  and  a  heavy  egg-shaped  weight 
dangling  at  the  end. 

"  There  is  my  rig." 

"  Is  that  all  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Shayback. 

«  That  is  all." 

Later  experience  taught  Mr.  Shayback  that 
it  was  one  thing  to  have  a  rig,  and  another 
thing  to  know  how  to  use  it.  Opening  a 
little  box  filled  with  swivels,  rings,  hooks, 
pack-thread,  needles,  and  beeswax,  Mr.  Mer- 
riman  initiated  his  pupil  into  the  method  of 
constructing  a  rig  for  himself.  With  still 
greater  generosity  he  informed  Mr.  Shayback 
that  he  was  going  to  Waterloo  for  a  few  days 
and  tendered  him  the  use  of  his  own  line. 
When  Mr.  Shayback  remembers  the  destruc- 
tive work  which  the  uninitiated  often  make 
with  such  appliances,  the  generosity  of  Mr. 
Merriman  looms  up  into  the  grandeur  of 
Owl's  Head.  ■  Five  minutes  after  Mr.  Shay- 
back cast  that  borrowed  line  he  had  hooked 
it  on  one  of  the  worst  ledges  in  the  lake.  It 
was  only  by  patience  and  good  fortune  that 


SPOON  AND  SINKER.  179 

he  got  it  off  again,  and  fifteen  minutes  after- 
wards he  landed  a  seven-pound  huige  in  his 
boat.  He  did  not  catch  another  for  a  week, 
but  that  seven-pounder  was  enough  to  fire 
his  enthusiasm  with  an  inextinffuishahle 
ardor.  He  had  caught  a  fish ;  but  he  had 
also  become  himself  firmly  hooked  to  this 
new  and  alluring  pastime. 

A  German  from  Montreal  is  credited  with 
first  introducing  this  innovation.  Mr.  Mer- 
riman,  who  is  an  ingenious  mechanic,  then 
took  it  up  and  substantially  improved  the  rig. 
Gradually  the  old  fishermen  were  obliged  to 
adopt  the  improved  method. 

"I  have  fished  in  this  lake  for  forty  years," 
said  old  Diman,  as  he  reluctantly  surrendered 
the  buoy  for  the  trolling  line,  "  and  it  is  hard 
to  teach  an  old  dog  new  tricks." 

Surface  trolling  has  of  course  been  prac- 
ticed upon  the  lake  for  many  years,  not  only 
for  pickerel  but  for  lunge.  It  was  confined, 
however,  to  the  spring  of  the  year  or  to  early 
summer,  when  the  fish  are  near  the  surface. 
Through  July  and  August,  when  they  seek 


180  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

deeper  water,  the  trolling  line  was  put  by. 
Now  that  we  know  what  can  be  accomplished 
by  it,  it  seems  singular  that  no  one  ever 
adopted  before  the  simple  device  of  adding  a 
sinker  to  the  spoon  and  sending  down  the 
shining  allurement  to  wreak  its  deception  at 
the  bottom.  This  simple  device,  however, 
involves  a  wholly  new  method  of  fishing.  It 
requires  not  merely  the  addition  of  a  weight, 
but  the  addition  of  that  experience  which 
develops  skill  and  knowledge.  The  condi- 
tions for  successful  trolling  on  the  surface 
and  for  successful  trolling  on  the  bottom  are 
essentially  different. 

Mr.  Shay  back  found  himself  at  the  begin- 
ning of  an  epoch  in  the  history  of  fishing  on 
the  lake.  He  has  the  honor  of  beino:  the 
first  amateur  to  adopt  the  new  method,  and 
has  succeeded  in  disproving  the  assertion 
which  often  went  uncontradicted,  that  "  no 
amateur  can  catch  a  lun^e."  In  the  last 
three  years  he  has  acquired  not  a  little  expe- 
rience and  has  profited  by  the  experience  of 
others.     Much  of  it,  however,  is  incommuni- 


SPOON  AND  SINKER.  181 

cable  on  paper.  It  is  not  precept  upon  pre- 
cept, but  line  upon  line  that  is  needed. 

By  all  means  let  the  line  be  a  good  one. 
Mr.  Shayback  prefers  a  hard-braided  number 
2  line.  It  is  not  so  liable  to  snarl ;  it  is  not 
elastic.  Achilles  declares  that  with  such  a 
line  he  could  feel  a  bite  three  miles  off.  The 
Homeric  heroes  are  given  to  hyperbole.  If 
Achilles  meant  a  ledge  bite  there  is  no  doubt 
that  he  spoke  the  exact  truth.  No  matter 
how  long  the  line,  if  the  fisher  gets  it  hooked 
on  a  ledge  at  one  end  he  will  eventually  fe  .i 
it  at  the  other.  The  line  should  be  about 
three  hundred  feet  in  length.  It  is  a  good 
plan  to  have  it  divided  into  sections  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  each.  A  loop  is  made 
at  each  end  of  the  severed  parts,  and  one  of 
them  is  made  long  enough  for  the  reel  con- 
taining the  other  half  of  the  line  to  be  passed 
through  it.  In  this  way  the  additional  length 
can  be  securely  united  in  a  moment  when  the 
depth  of  the  water  requires  it. 

The  spoon  is  one  of  the  most  important 
features   in   the   outfit.      Upon    its    perfect 


182  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

adaptation  to  its  work  the  success  of  the 
"whole  venture  may  depend.  The  Memphre- 
magog  fishermen  have  an  aversion  to  patent 
spoons  for  deep  trolling.  Mr.  Shayback  has 
given  them  only  a  limited  trial,  but  without 
encouraging  results.  The  most  successful 
fishermen  on  the  lake  buy  at  Newport  an 
ordinary  silver-plated  table  spoon.  With  a 
chisel  they  cut  off  the  handle  close  to  the 
bowl,  filing  the  bowl  smoothly  at  the  severed 
part  until  all  trace  of  the  handle  has  disap- 
peared. A  hole  is  bored  in  each  end  of  the 
bowl  near  the  edge,  care  being  taken  that 
the  holes  shall  be  in  line,  as  the  position  of 
the  holes  has  an  important  influence  upon  the 
revolution  of  the  spoon.  Some  fishermen 
bend  up  the  back  of  the  spoon  to  furnish  a 
little  more  resistance  to  the  water.  Some- 
times one  gets  a  spoon  that  revolves  like  an 
egg'f  but  a  slight  deviation  in  boring  the 
holes  will  cause  it  to  make  a  wider  circle 
through  the  water.  The  hook  should  be  a 
three-barbed  grapnel  of  medium  size. 

For  the  benefit  of  amateurs  who  may  wish 


SPOON  AND  SINKER.  183 

to  prepare  a  similar  line  and  try  the  experi- 
ment, I  will  describe  in  detail  the  construc- 
tion of  a  rig.  The  hook  should  be  hung 
from  the  large  end  of  the  spoon  by  the  inter- 
vention of  an  ordinary  steel  ring.  Another 
ring  is  placed  in  the  small  end,  and  to  this  is 
joined  a  good  swivel,  allowing  the  spoon  to 
revolve  freely.  Two  or  three  feet  of  gimp 
are  fastened  to  the  swivel  and  the  main  line 
is  joined  to  the  gimp  by  another  swivel.  It 
is  a  good  plan  to  fasten  the  gimp  to  the  line 
by  looped  hitches,  so  that  the  spoon  can  be 
readily  detached  if  necessary.  Measure  off 
twenty-one  feet  of  line  from  the  spoon  and 
then  attach  another  swivel.  At  this  point 
the  lead  line  is  fastened.  It  should  be  five 
feet  in  length,  and  should  hang  perpendicu- 
larly from  the  main  line  by  a  swivel  running 
on  the  line  and  also  another  swivel  at  the 
end  where  it  joins  the  weight,  thus  allowing 
the  lead  to  revolve  without  getting  twisted 
in  the  line.  The  swivel  joining  the  lead  line 
to  the  main  line  may  be  fastened  by  a  piece 
of  copper  wire  to  the  swivel  which  connects 


184  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

the  main  line  with  the  back  line.  This  will 
prevent  the  lead  line  from  sliding  along  too 
far  on  the  main  line,  or  the  same  purpose 
may  be  served  by  "  ganging,"  or  winding, 
the  main  line  so  heavily  with  thread  that  the 
eye  of  the  swivel  will  not  slip  over  it.  The 
most  approved  weight  is  made  by  blowing 
out  the  contents  of  a  large  egg  and  using  the 
shell  in  the  sand  as  a  mould.  A  piece  of 
heavy  wire  may  be  moulded  into  the  lead  and 
formed  into  a  staple  as  a  point  of  attachment 
for  the  ring.  The  lead  should  weigh  a 
pound. 

As  to  the  modus  operandi,  the  fisherman 
who  rows  alone,  after  a  sufficient  length  of  line 
is  paid  out,  according  to  the  nature  of  the 
ground,  fastens  his  reel  in  the  boat  and  winds 
the  line  around  his  hand  so  as  to  bring  the 
bearing  upon  the  first  finger.  In  throwing 
out  the  spoon  be  careful  that  the  grapnel 
does  not  catch  on  the  line.  Take  heed  also 
in  dropping  the  lead  that  it  does  not  twist  on 
the  main  line.  The  line  should  be  paid  out 
until  the  lead  touches  the  bottom.     The  boat 


SPOON  AND  SINKER.  185 

should  be  gently  rowed,  just  enough  to  let 
the  lead  bob  along  on  the  bottom,  while  the 
spoon  is  kept  revolving  in  the  water  behind. 
If  there  is  no  wind  to  row  against,  a  gentle 
movement  of  the  oars  will  suffice.  The 
motion  of  the  boat  should  not  be  arrested 
long  without  drawing  in  the  line  ;  if  it  is 
the  spoon  may  be  trusted  to  catch  on  the 
bottom. 

With  the  line  wound  around  the  hand  the 
fisherman  will  find  no  trouble  in  managing  his 
oars.  Indeed  there  is  a  great  advantage  in 
being  able  to  regulate  the  motion  of  the  boat 
by  the  intelligence  which  the  oarsman  gets 
from  below.  He  soon  becomes  so  accustomed 
to  the  thud  of  the  lead  on  the  bottom  that 
he  feels  it  every  time  he  bends  forward  to 
take  a  new  dip  with  his  oars.  When  he 
moves  off  into  deeper  water  and  fails  to  get 
the  answering  thud,  he  gradually  lengthens 
his  line  until  he  feels  it  again.  Sometimes  in 
crossing  a  bar  or  ledge,  the  sinker  bobs  along 
from  rock  to  rock.  The  motion  produced  is 
a  very  deceptive  one.    The  amateur  is  certain 


186  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

that  he  has  a  fish,  and  is  perhaps  only  unde- 
ceived when  he  brings  his  empty  spoon  to  the 
top  of  the  water. 

The  necessity  of  trolling  near  the  bottom 
renders  it  important  that  the  fisherman  should 
know  the  ground  on  which  he  fishes.  He 
soon  learns,  and  sometimes  by  bitter  experi- 
ence, the  trend  of  the  most  dangerous  ledges, 
the  location  of  bars,  and  the  outline  of  the 
channel.  The  constant  use  of  the  lead  makes 
him  almost  as  familiar  with  the  topography 
of  the  bottom  as  he  is  with  the  top.  The 
trees  and  landmarks  on  the  shore  serve  to  fix 
his  course.  If  he  fishes  on  the  soft  bottom 
he  may  bob  along  without  much  inconven- 
ience, but  sooner  or  later  every  fisherman 
finds  himself  suddenly  brought  to  a  stand-still 
by  a  strong  and  steady  tension  on  his  Une. 
The  practiced  troUer  soon  learns  the  differ- 
ence between  a  real  bite  and  a  "  ledge  bite." 
When  he  finds  himself  fast  he  immediately 
backs  water.  If  the  line  is  obstinate,  he  runs 
in  the  opposite  direction  to  draw  the  hook  out 
of  its  catch.     Sometimes  it  is  the  weight  that 


SPOON  AND  SINKER.  187 

is  caught  between  the  crevices  of  the  rocks. 
Usually  a  few  minutes  will  suffice  to  free  it. 
But  such  hitches  occasion  no  little  annoyance 
and  delay.  Mr.  Shayback  fished  for  three 
years  without  losing  a  spoon,  his  account  be- 
ing squared  by  the  loss  of  a  couple  of  leads. 
But  sometimes  even  the  most  experienced 
fisherman,  going  out  with  a  good  rig,  may 
come  back  minus  spoon,  lead,  and  most  of 
his  line.  If  he  is  so  unfortunate  as  to  get 
fastened  to  a  ledge  when  the  wind  is  high, 
he  finds  it  hard  work  to  get  loose  again.  In 
such  cases  he  may  buoy  his  line  and  leave  it 
until  calm  weather. 

Two  summers  ago,  Mr.  Shayback  w^as  fish- 
ing off  Georgeville  in  about  seventy  feet  of 
water,  when  he  suddenly  felt  the  tension 
which  telegraphs  a  hitch.  He  at  once  backed 
his  boat,  paid  out  his  line  again,  and  then 
hauled  in  without  success.  He  worked  to 
the  north,  the  east,  the  south,  and  the  west. 
Half  an  hour  of  patient  but  unavailing  effort 
at  every  point  of  the  compass  failed  to  release 
the   obstinate  hook.      Finally  he  concluded 


188  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

that  he  must  snap  his  line  and  leave  it  there. 
He  determined  to  secure  as  much  of  it  as 
possible,  and  pulled  his  hoat  directly  over  the 
obstruction.  Drawing  heavily  on  the  line,  he 
expected  it  to  snap.  He  slowly  pulled  in  a 
foot  or  two.  The  line  seemed  elastic ;  it  gave 
with  each  added  strain.  He  pulled  in  a  yard, 
then  a  fathom,  and  still  it  came.  It  was  a 
pleasing  exercise  of  the  imagination  to  con- 
jecture the  nature  of  the  haul.  If  not  a  fish, 
it  was  a  disappointment  of  an  unusually  heavy 
order.  What  could  it  be?  A  little  twig 
eventually  appeared  above  the  water.  It  was 
followed  by  a  bough,  then  by  a  long  and 
heavier  limb,  until  finally  the  trunk  of  a 
good-sized  tree  emerged  from  the  water,  and 
was  drawn  across  the  top  of  the  boat.  It 
measured  fully  twenty  feet  in  length,  and 
being  water-logged  was  a  tolerably  heavy 
load  for  a  man  to  carry.  It  seemed  hardly 
possible  that  a  tree  of  this  size  and  weight 
could  have  been  brought  from  the  bottom  by 
so  small  a  hook.  Undoubtedly  if  Mr.  Shay- 
back  had  endeavored  to  raise  it  at  first  his 


SPOON  AND  SINKER,  189 

line  would  have  broken.  But  having  worked 
his  boat  in  every  direction  before  taking  the 
direct  strain,  the  tree  was  dislodged  from  its 
sandy  bed. 

The  irony  of  trolling  is  occasionally  illus- 
trated in  the  way  I  have  described.  To  bring 
up  a  twenty-foot  tree  from  the  bottom  is  a 
poor  return  for  a  whole  day's  work,  especially 
when  the  tree  is  so  water-logged  tliat  you  can- 
not use  it  to  cook  the  fish  with  which  you 
revenge  yourself  the  next  day.  The  vexation 
of  bringing  up  a  tree  or  stone,  however,  is 
small  compared  with  that  of  leaving  your 
spoon  and  hook  at  the  bottom. 

I  have  indicated  the  main  conditions  of 
success  in  deep  trolling.  But  in  this  branch 
of  fishing,  as  in  all  others,  "  fisherman's 
luck"  plays  its  mysterious  part.  Neverthe- 
less there  is  a  growing  tendency  among  fish- 
ermen on  the  lake  to  depend  more  on  "  sci- 
ence," and  less  on  superstition.  The  most 
successful  fishermen  are  those  who  pay  most 
attention  to  their  "  rig ; "  who  keep  their 
spoon  shining,  and  who  are  fastidiously  par- 


190  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

ticular  in  regard  to  its  whirl ;  who,  literally 
speaking,  have  got  to  the  bottom  of  the 
thing,  and  know  the  topography  of  the  lake 
bed  with  that  minuteness  which  can  be  ac- 
quired only  through  a  careful  study  of  the 
revelations  of  the  spoon  and  sinker.  During 
the  four  years  in  which  deep  trolling  has 
been  followed  on  Memphremagog,  the  num- 
ber of  fish  caught  by  this  method  has  greatly 
increased.  This,  I  think,  is  not  to  be  attrib- 
uted to  an  increase  of  the  fish  so  much  as  to 
the  fact  that  the  fishermen  are  gradually  get- 
ting the  knack  of  it.  The  number  of  lunge 
in  the  lake  is  small  compared  with  the  num- 
ber twenty  years  ago.  The  spear  and  the 
seine  have  wrought  fearful  decimations.  The 
summer  catch  under  the  old  method  uf  an- 
gling has  been  getting  smaller  and  smaller. 
The  relative  scarcity  of  fish  compared  with 
the  old-fashioned  reign  of  plenty  may  be 
seen  from  the  fact  that  lunjje  brings  fifteen 
cents  a  pound  right  on  the  ground  where  it  is 
caught  at  Georgeville,  and  that  eighteen  and 
twenty  cents  have  been  paid  at  the  southc  i 
end  of  the  lake. 


SPOON  AND  SINKER.  191 

Success  in  trolling  is  very  variable.  Mr. 
Achilles  has  caught  in  one  day  fifty-three 
pounds,  one  of  the  fish  weighing  sixteen  and 
a  half  pounds.  On  another  day  he  caught 
seventy-seven  and  a  quarter  pounds  and  sold 
the  lot  at  fifteen  cents  a  pound.  The  weather 
at  this  time  was  tolerably  cool  and  the  fish 
seemed  to  rise  in  schools  on  the  shoals.  This 
is  the  largest  catch  ever  made  in  a  single  day 
by  deep  trolling.  For  three  or  four  days 
succeeding  the  weather  was  extremely  warm 
and  hardly  a  fish  was  to  be  caught  on  these 
grounds.  The  possibilities  of  the  single  deep 
trolling  line  may  be  well  illustrated  by  the 
work  of  Paul  Young,  a  fisherman  who  de- 
voted himself  to  the  business  from  the  first 
of  June  until  the  season  closed,  October  15. 
His  total  catch  during  this  time  was  1776 
pounds.  The  largest  fish  caught  during  the 
season  weighed  nineteen  pounds. 

The  tyro,  even  when  he  is  provided  with 
a  good  rig,  incurs  the  possibility  of  failure 
from  not  knowing  the  ground  over  which  he 
trolls.     But  still  another  source  of  failure  to 


192  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

"which  even  the  best  fishermen  are  exposed 
arises  from  the  occasional  difficulty  of  land- 
ing the  fish.  It  is  not  necessary  to  let  the 
lunge  "  run,"  as  with  bass  or  salmon.  When 
the  telegraphic  jerk  is  fairly  felt,  the  fisher 
may  begin  to  haul  in.  If  the  hook  is  caught 
in  the  lower  jaw,  he  will  generally  bring  him 
without  trouble.  It  is  frequently  as  easy  to 
land  a  six  or  seven  pound  lunge  as  to  land  a 
perch.  But  sometimes  it  requires  all  the  skill 
of  the  practiced  troUer  to  get  his  fish  on 
board.  The  amateur,  in  the  excitement  of  his 
first  haul,  must  be  cool  indeed  if  he  does  not 
pull  his  fish  into  the  boat  without  the  formal- 
ity of  the  gafP.  He  may  succeed  several  i  mes 
in  this  way,  but  when  he  hooks  lightly  on  a 
ten  or  twelve  pounder,  and  loses  it  just  at  the 
side  of  the  boat,  he  will  be  apt  to  seek  in  fu- 
ture a  little  instruction  in  the  theory  and  prac- 
tice of  the  gaff.  The  gaff  should  be  about 
three  feet  in  length,  with  the  hook  turned  a 
little  outward,  and  made  as  sharp  as  a  file  can 
make  it.  Let  it  be  placed  near  the  stern  of 
the  boat,  ready  for   use.     When  the  fisher- 


SPOON  AND  SINKER.  193 

man  in  hauling  the  line  reaches  the  sinker 
there  is  still  twenty-one  feet  of  line  behind  it 
upon  which  the  fish  is  playing.  He  should 
take  the  gaff  in  his  right  hand  and  hold  it 
there  as  he  draws  the  line,  hand  over  hand, 
into  the  boat.  As  soon  as  the  fish  is  in  reach 
of  the  gaff,  and  before  it  breaks  water,  he 
should  strike  beneath  it,  being  careful  to  keep 
the  line  taut  lest  the  hook  should  loosen  in 
its  mouth.  In  his  excitement  he  must  be 
particularly  careful  not  to  strike  the  fish  off 
the  hook,  by  smiting  him  with  the  side  of  his 
gaff.  A  good  fisherman  on  the  lake  made  it 
a  point  at  first  to  gaff  his  fish  in  the  head, 
but  having  struck  one  in  such  a  way  as  to  cut 
off  the  spoon  and  allow  the  fish  to  escape  with 
it  in  his  mouth,  he  changed  his  tactics  and 
gaffs  him  if  possible  in  the  back.  But  the 
amateur  will  not  find  it  easy  to  be  particular 
as  to  how  and  where  he  applies  that  instru- 
ment. He  will  consider  himself  fortunate  if 
he  is  able  to  land  his  fish  at  all  through  its 
agency.  Now  and  then  he  will  hook  a  lively 
trout  that  will  rise  suddenly  to  the  top  of  the 


194  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

water,  and  whirl  and  flap  and  dart,  so  that 
it  will  be  a  piece  of  sheer  good  luck  if 
he  succeeds  in  gaffing  him  at  all.  Misery 
loves  company,  and  while  Mr.  Shayback 
failed  to  express  symj^athy  at  the  time,  it  has 
only  added  to  the  growing  feeling  of  self- 
complacency  when  he  has  seen  the  most  skill- 
ful fisherman  on  the  lake  sometimes  draw  up 
one  of  these  whirligigs  to  the  side  of  his 
boat,  put  out  the  gaff  to  land  him,  and  find 
that  he  had  gone. 

I  cannot  do  justice,  in  a  single  paragraph, 
to  the  attitude  of  mind  which  such  an  experi- 
ence occasions.  There  is  science  in  catching 
a  fisJ.;  philosophy  comes  in  when  you  lose 
hiir  iud  to  the  consolations  of  philosophy 
til  ^sherman  must  betake  himself.  No  man 
can  be  a  fisherman  a  great  Avhile  without  ac- 
quiring some  philosophy  of  his  own.  It  may 
not  be  so  profound  as  Kant's  or  so  mystical 
as  Hegel's,  but  it  is  a  philosophy  which  con- 
dones his  mistakes  and  yields  a  soothing  balm 
for  his  misfortunes.  The  fisherman  needs  to 
invoke  it  when  he  finds,  as  the  Apostles  did. 


SPOON  AND  SINKER.  195 

that  he  has  toiled  all  the  clay  and  caught  noth- 
ing. But  still  more  does  he  need  it  when  he 
finds  that  somebody  else  who  has  not  toiled 
half  as  much  has  gained  all  that  he  has  lost. 
He  has  risen  at  daylight  and  rowed  out  to  the 
grounds  and  pulled  steadily  over  the  course 
until  breakfast.  He  has  worked  all  the  fore- 
noon until  dinner  time,  and  taking  but  a  fru- 
gal lunch  has  plied  his  oars  until  sundown, 
and  not  a  bite.  And  yet  the  man  who  is 
rowing  alongside  of  him  has  taken  in  thirty 
pounds.  Or  some  other  fisherman  who  has 
spent  the  whole  day  lazily  ashore  rows  out  an 
hour  before  sunset,  drops  his  hook  on  the 
same  ground,  and  fifteen  minutes  after  he  has 
cast  his  line  hauls  in  a  ten-pounder.  Under 
such  circumstances  there  is  no  better  philoso- 
phy, I  imagine,  than  that  of  Paul  Young, 
who  once  said  to  Mr.  Shayback,  "  Well,  I 
believe  that  no  man  catches  another  man's 
fish."  This  is  an  admirable  way  of  looking  at 
it.  It  is  a  useful  application  of  the  Calvinistic 
doctrine  of  election  to  deep  trolling.  But  the 
fisherman  himself  must  illustrate  the  doctrine 


196  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

of  the  perseverance  of  the  saints,  or  he  will 
not  make  his  calling  and  election  sure.  No 
man  can  i.^.ake  a  good  record  at  *'  lunging  '* 
who  docs  not  hold  out  faithfully  to  the  end. 

A  chapter,  yes,  whole  volumes  might  be 
written  on  the  mystery  and  fickleness  of 
fortune  exhibited  in  "  fisherman's  luck." 
Three  of  the  best  fishermen  on  the  lake, 
Moses,  John,  and  Paul,  are  working  side  by 
side  off  the  Merriman  shoals.  They  have  all 
received  that  preparation  for  success  in  life 
indicated  in  a  good  name,  though  I  doubt  if 
any  of  them  would  honestly  say  that  a  Scrip- 
tural name  is  necessarily  better  than  great 
riches.  Their  rigs  and  spoons  are  as  nearly 
alike  as  they  can  be  made  ;  the  chances  for 
success  seem  to  be  equal.  Yet  while  Moses 
keeps  hauling  them  in,  John  and  Paul  scarcely 
get  a  bite. 

"  This  is  a  victory  for  the  old  dispensa- 
tion," said  Mr.  Shayback,  as  Moses  landed 
another  eight-pounder.  But  on  some  subse- 
quent day  the  new  dispensation  has  its  turn, 
and  Paul  or  John  can  show  a  good  string, 


SPOON  AND  SINKER.  197 

while  Moses  is  saying,  "  I  mum  :  something 's 
the  matter  with  my  spoon." 

But  in  the  long  run  the  doctrine  of  sowing 
and  reaping  applies  here  as  it  does  elsewhere. 
It  is  the  hard-working,  industrious,  vigilant 
fisherman,  who  brings  intelligence  as  well  as 
perseverance  to  his  art,  that  has,  on  the  whole, 
the  best  luck.  If  fish  cannot  be  had  in  one 
place,  they  may  be  had  in  another.  The 
troller  must  go  where  he  can  find  them.  His 
spoon  must  be  kept  faultlessly  bright,  his 
hooks  sharp,  and  his  line  ready. 

At  Memphremagog,  as  everywhere  else, 
there  are  no  fish  cauoht  so  laro^e  as  those 
which  the  fisherman  loses.  It  is  wonderful 
how  much  more  a  trout  weighs  when  he  drops 
off  the  troUer's  hook  than  if  he  had  been 
landed  in  the  boat.  Fish  never  grow  so  fast 
in  the  water  as  they  do  in  the  imagination. 
This  faculty  does  not  embalm  departed  fish, 
over  which  the  fisherman  has  shed  many  salt 
tears  of  regret,  until  it  has  first  sufficiently 
magnified  them.  Even  then  their  capacity 
for  growth  does  not  cease.     Old  John,  I  fear. 


198  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

always  thinks  that  the  memory  of  such  a  fish 
is  best  preserved  when  steeped  in  alcohol,  after 
the  manner  of  the  museums,  and  he  is  quite 
willing  to  act  as  the  barrel.  The  fish  has 
played  an  important  part  in  mythology,  and 
its  career  in  this  field  is  not  yet  closed.  There 
is  as  much  piscatorial  mythology  manufac- 
tured to-day  as  there  ever  was,  and  perhaps  not 
more  on  Memphremagog  than  in  other  waters. 
I  have  discovered  that  the  forty-pound 
lunge  which  my  friend  Lucius  ^lerriman  cap- 
tured some  fifteen  years  ago  has  a  tendency 
to  grow  a  pound  heavier  every  year,  when  it 
hangs  again  upon  the  tongue  of  some  proud 
guardian  of  its  traditions.  Such  exaggeration 
may  sometimes  be  checked  by  the  contradic- 
tion of  a  more  exact  witness,  who  saw  it  and 
knew  all  about  it.  But  the  man  who  has 
failed  to  land  his  fish  cannot  be  gainsaid.  He 
may  add  a  pound  every  year  to  its  weight,  or 
a  foot  to  its  length,  and  no  one  can  contradict 
him.  If  he  has  actually  seen  the  fish  in  the 
water  before  it  spurned  his  gaff,  then  he  can 
offer   the   testimony  of   his  eyesj  if  he  has 


SPOON  AND  SINKER.  199 

failed  to  see  it  before  it  hroke  loose  from  his 
hook  he  can  offer  the  more  glowing  testimony 
of  his  imagination.  If  one  wants  to  hear 
Spartan  Joe  Hughes  warm  up  into  dramatic 
eloquence,  let  him  be  asked  to  tell  the  story 
of  the  great  fish  which  old  John  Hotham 
failed  to  land,  and  which  as  he  jumped  from 
the  water  seemed  as  large  as  a  full-grown 
man.  There  is  not  a  fisherman  on  the  lake 
who  has  not  a  stock  of  traditions  of  his  own 
of  mythical  proportion  and  variety.  After 
one  has  heard  them,  he  can  sit  down  and 
read  the  story  of  Jonah  and  feel  that  the  ten- 
sion on  his  credulity  has  been  greatly  relaxed. 
There  are  no  stories  which  the  Memphre- 
magog  fisherman  tells  with  a  keener  interest, 
or  with  greater  accuracy,  than  those  which 
relate  to  lunge  spearing.  In  the  old  times 
before  the  law  forbade  the  use  of  the  spear, 
there  was  an  overwhelming  massacre  of  fish 
every  fall,  the  evils  of  which  have  been  felt 
in  the  subsequent  scarcity.  In  the  latter  part 
of  October  and  the  early  part  of  November, 
the  lunge  come  up  in  immense  numbers  to 


200  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

spawn.  They  appear  in  great  schools  packed 
closely  together,  and  lie  nestled  around  the 
rocks,  or  swim  so  far  up  on  the  heach  that 
thoir  backs  are  half  out  of  water,  and  one 
could  easily  haul  them  ashore  with  a  galF, 
without  wetting  his  feet.  In  the  old  times  a 
favorite  spearing  place  was  on  the  Merriman 
shoals.  Here  it  was  not  an  unusual  thing  for 
two  or  three  men  to  spear  and  cart  away  an 
ox-load  of  lunge  in  a  night.  The  Dominion 
laws  now  protect  them  during  the  breeding 
season,  and  watchers  are  engaged  by  the  gov- 
ernment from  October  15  to  November  15  to 
see  that  the  laws  are  stringently  executed. 
But  when  the  lunge  may  be  so  easily  and  so 
abundantly  taken,  it  would  be  strange  if  the 
law  were  not  fractured  very  frequently.  A 
common  ruse  is  to  light  a  fire  at  night,  at 
some  point  on  the  opposite  shore.  The  fish 
officers  immediately  man  their  boat  and  cross 
to  capture  the  violators.  While  they  are  fol- 
lowing this  decoy,  the  real  law-breakers  are 
at  work  with  a  jack-light  at  some  point  on 
the  shore  from  which  the  officers  have  started. 


SPOON  AND  SINKER.  201 

Nearly  every  season  Mr.  Shayback  has  to  act 
as  father  confessor  to  some  of  the  natives  who 
are  only  too  fond  of  retailinj^  their  ex2)loits 
of  the  previous  season.  The  fishermen  gen- 
erally see  the  wisdom  and  justice  of  this  law, 
and  the  government  tries  to  insure  their  co- 
operation by  placing  them  under  oath  and 
paying  them  a  fair  sum  to  act  as  watchers. 
There  is  the  same  zest  for  adventure  in  break- 
ing the  game  law^,  however,  as  in  smuggling. 
And  I  have  heard  of  good  pillars  in  the 
church,  who  would  not  think  of  telling  a  lie 
or  takin";  a  cent  that  did  not  belonij  to  tliom, 
who  felt  that  they  had  a  right  to  l)eiit  the 
fish  ofiicers,  and  get  their  share  of  lunge. 
The  uncertain  catch  of  the  troller  seems 
meagre  indeed,  when  compared  with  the  har- 
vest of  the  spear.  One  night  two  years  ago, 
three  fishermen  surreptitiously  left  George- 
ville  durinof  the  close  season,  to  try  their  luck 
in  Bullock's  Bay,  and  then  across  the  lake. 
They  were  all  skillful  oarsmen  and  managed 
to  elude  the  vigilance  of  tjie  fish  ofiicers.  In 
the  course  of  two  or  three   hours,  they  took 


202  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

five  hundred  pounds,  all  large  fish.  They 
did  not  dare  to  land  their  catch  at  George- 
ville,  as  their  boat  and  every  pound  of  fish 
would  have  been  confiscated,  in  addition  to 
the  fine  imposed.  Concealing  it  for  the  night 
on  Lord's  Island,  they  rowed  it  the  next  day 
to  Newport,  where  they  sold  the  fish  for  sev- 
enty-five dollars. 

As  Mr.  Shayback  has  never  yet  spent  any 
tin^ .  at  Mempnremagog  when  fishing  was  not 
perfectly  lawful,  he  has  been  saved  all  tempta- 
tion to  engage  in  this  ruthless  slaughter.  So 
far  as  the  spoon  and  the  sinker  are  concerned, 
it  may  be  said  that  the  fisherman  has  to  pay 
in  good  hard  work  for  all  his  gnins  by  this 
method.  The  best  time  for  deep  trolling  is 
in  the  latter  part  of  Soj^tember  or  the  first 
part  of  October,  when  the  fish  come  up  on 
the  shoals.  In  August  they  seek  the  cooler 
depths. 

The  introduction  of  deep  trolling  has 
tauolit  the  fishermen  not  to  oe  tied  down  to 
old  methods,  and  there  are  some  who  think 
that  better  results  than  those  furnished  by  the 


SPOON  AND  SINKER.  203 

spoon  may  be  attained  by  the  use  of  a  phan- 
tom minnow,  or,  according  to  others,  by  a 
live  minnow  or  a  smelt  fastened  on  a  spinnet 
in  place  oi  the  spoon.  But  this  yet  remains 
to  be  demonstrated,  and  I  must  confess  that  I 
should  have  less  inclination  for  fishing,  if, 
instead  of  the  bright  and  innocent  spoon,  a 
live  fish  must  be  used  as  a  lure  on  the  end  of 
the  Une. 

To  Mr.  Shayback,  not  the  least  advantage 
of  this  summer  occupation  during  the  vaca- 
tion is  that  he  has  an  opportunity  to  identify 
his  sympathies  and  interests  with  these  hard- 
working fishermen  ;  to  rise  with  them  at  day- 
light ;  to  labo:  through  storm  and  heat ;  to 
share  the  vicissitudes  of  their  fortunes ;  to 
enjoy  the  rewards  which  come  from  patience 
and  industry  ;  and  to  bear  with  philosophic 
calm  the  loss  and  pain  of  irretrievable  defeat. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

SPOON    AND    SINKER. THE    POETRY    OF   IT. 

Washington  Irving,  in  his  "  Sketch  Book," 
has  given  a  description  of  his  first  attempt 
at  angling.  He  confesses  that  it  was  in- 
spired by  the  seductive  pages  of  honest  Izaak 
Walton.  *^  I  recollect  studying  his  '  Com- 
plete Angler,'  several  years  since,  in  company 
with  a  knot  of  friends  in  America,  and,  more- 
over, that  we  were  all  completely  bitten  by 
the  angHng  mania."  "  Our  first  essay  was 
along  a  mountain  brook  among  the  High- 
lands of  the  Hudson,  —  a  most  unfortunate 
place  for  the  execution  of  those  piscatory  tac- 
tics which  had  been  invented  along  the  velvet 
margins  of  quiet  English  rivulets."  The  ill- 
success  of  the  expedition  is  described  with  a 
truthfulness  not  supposed  to  be  characteristic 
of  unlucky  fishermen  :  — 


SPOON  AND  SINKER.  205 

For  my  own  part,  I  was  always  a  bungler  at  all 
kinds  of  sport  that  required  either  patience  or 
adroitness,  and  had  not  angled  above  half  an  hour 
before  I  had  completely  satisfied  the  sentiment 
and  convinced  myself  of  the  truth  of  Izaak  Wal- 
ton's opinion,  that  "  angling  is  something  like 
poetry,  —  a  man  must  be  born  to  it."  I  hooked 
myself  instead  of  the  fish,  tangled  my  line  in  every 
tree,  lost  my  bait,  broke  my  rod,  until  I  gave  up 
the  attempt  in  despair,  and  passed  the  day  under 
the  trees,  reading  old  Izaak,  satisfied  that  it  was 
his  fascinating  vein  of  honest  simplicity  and  rural 
feeling  that  had  bewitched  me,  and  not  the  pas- 
sion for  angling.  .  .  .  And,  above  all,  I  recollect 
the  good,  honest,  wholesome,  hungry  repast  which 
we  made  under  a  beech-tree  just  by  a  spring  of 
pure,  sweet  water  that  stole  out  of  the  side  of  a 
hill ;  and  how,  when  it  was  over,  one  of  the  party 
read  old  Izaak  Walton's  scene  with  the  milkmaid, 
while  I  lay  on  the  grass  and  built  castles  in  the 
bright  dome  of  clouds,  until  I  fell  asleep. 

Tested  by  the  standard  of  the  market  or 
the  larder,  or  what  we  may  call  the  prose 
side  of  fishing,  Irving's  expedition  was  a  fail- 
ure.    But  no  sympathetic  reader  can  fail  to 


206  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

see  that,  from  the  poetic  side,  it  was  an  un- 
doubted success.  It  was  the  poetry  of  the 
pastime  that  had  alhired  him.  The  profes- 
sional fisherman  may  smile  at  this  weak  form 
of  compensation,  but  the  amateur  is  often 
obliged  to  count  his  gains  in  this  way.  In 
more  cases  than  we  are  wont  to  suppose  there 
exists  also  in  the  professional  fisherman  an 
inborn  love  for  nature,  which  he  could  only 
rudely  express,  but  which  furnishes  an  under- 
tone of  satisfaction  in  his  work.  Every  form 
of  out-door  recreation  shares  more  or  less  in 
this  companionship  witli  nature,  but  it  is  the 
peculiar  merit  of  fishing  that  it  furnishes 
time  for  its  contemplation.  It  is  not  hilari- 
ous, like  hunting,  skating,  or  canoeing,  but 
calm  and  conducive  to  reflection.  If  it 
misses  much  which  is  furnished  by  saddle  or 
paddle,  it  also  opens  another  avenue  to  nature 
which  is  closed  to  them. 

But  fishing  itself  is  of  many  kinds,  and 
differs  much  in  the  emotions  it  creates. 
There  is  a  vast  difference,  on  the  one  hand, 
between  fishing  in  a  yacht,  with  a  stiff  breeze 


SPOON  AND  SINKER.  207 

and  a  lively  school  of  bliiefish  behind,  and 
sitting  patiently  under  the  cool  shade  of  for- 
est trees  on  the  shores  of  a  lovely  inland 
brook,  waiting  for  a  trout  to  rise.  The  first 
partakes  of  the  exhilaration  of  the  hunt,  al- 
beit the  fisherman  does  not  pursue,  but  is 
himself  pursued.  The  second  is  a  dreamy, 
patient,  hopeful  form  of  inertia,  which  has 
its  own  inherent  satisfaction.  But  the  troller 
for  lake  trout  has  a  province  of  his  own, 
which  furnishes  a  happy  medium  between  the 
exuberant  excitement  of  the  first  and  the 
patient  inertia  of  the  second. 

The  routine  of  our  camp  has  never  been  so 
established  as  to  make  early  rising  a  neces- 
sity. To  do  this  would  be  to  remove  it  from 
the  catalogue  of  virtues.  Whenever,  there- 
fore, we  rise  at  half-past  four  in  the  morning, 
slip  from  the  camp  unobserved,  and  quietly 
push  off  a  boat  into  the  calm,  clear  water,  it 
is  not  without  a  certain  sense  of  superiority. 
Egotism  is  said  to  be  almost  inevitably  an  ac- 
companiment of  early  rising.  But  the  charm 
of  self-contemplation  is  soon  lost  in  the  en- 


208  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

joyment  of  material  beauties  which  do  not 

0 

need  to  be  suffused  with  the  heightened  color 
of  our  pride.  Homer,  with  archaic  simplic- 
ity, makes  nearly  all  his  days  begin  with  the 
sunrise,  as  though  a  day  could  not  begin 
properly  at  any  other  time.  He  paints  them 
with  a  single  stroke  of  his  pen,  as  if  they 
were  familiar  to  his  readers.  The  modern 
day  for  the  city  dweller  does  not,  in  this  late- 
rising  zone,  begin  with  the  sunrise,  except  in 
the  dead  of  winter.  For  the  rest  of  the  year, 
the  sun  has  a  few  hours'  start  of  him.  He 
misses  Homer's  rosy-fingered  morn. 

The  sunrise  is  the  oldest  and  yet  the  new- 
est event  in  the  world.  It  should  be  in  itself 
a  process  of  mental  and  spiritual  regeneration 
to  witness  the  birth  of  a  new  day.  No  one 
has  really  seen  a  sunrise  unless  he  has  been 
kindled  by  it.  It  is  an  old,  old  story  of  the 
world,  but  one  repeated  with  ever-varying 
eloquence.  Nature  never  tires  of  revealing 
her  life  and  what  seems  to  be  her  joy,  —  a 
symphony  of  color  in  the  sky,  an  answering 
orchestra  in  the  forests,  a  fugue  of  bird  notes, 


SPOON  AND  SINKER.  209 

a  new  freshness  in  the  rustle  of  the  trees,  a 
new  song  to  the  brook.  Do  the  winds  them- 
selves get  drowsy  ?  Or  what  subtle  and  mys- 
terious anodyne  is  it  that  lulls  the  lake  to 
sleejD  at  night  ?  There  are  times  of  f rightf id 
stormy  revel,  when  the  night  winds  roar 
through  the  forest  and  tear  the  lake  into 
foam.  But  these  are  exceptional.  In  gen- 
eral, the  winds  seem  to  retire  to  their  fabled 
caves  at  sundown,  and  the  lake  lies  sleeping 
on  its  bed  as  calmly  and  sweetly  as  the  camp 
baby  in  its  hammock.  As  we  move  from  the 
wharf  in  our  skiff  and  gently  dip  the  water 
with  the  oar,  it  seems  as  if  the  whole  lake 
felt  the  tremor  of  the  boat.  Has  the  morn- 
ing light  unloosed  the  leash  of  the  breeze  ? 
Ripple  after  ripple  wrinkles  the  surface :  the 
air  is  all  astir  with  new  life,  and  \ve  breathe 
its  quickening  freshness. 

To  the  poetry  of  color  and  the  poetry  of 
sound,  we  add  the  poetry  of  motion.  We  are 
moving  softly  and  genily  over  the  surface. 
This  is  the  charm  of  trolling.  To  Mr.  Shay- 
back  there  is  no  poetry  in  the  motion  of  a 


210  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

boat  at  anchor,  especially  when  wind  and 
waves  are  high.  It  is  not,  then,  the  solar 
light  that  impresses  him,  but  the  solar  plexus. 
Such  motion  is  apt  to  develop  anything  but 
poetic  feelings.  But  there  is  an  indefinable 
charm  in  the  straightforward,  gently  moving 
boat.  Each  dip  of  the  ash  blade  cuts  a  silver 
scroll,  and  miniature  whirlpools  spin  in  its 
cool  path.  The  water  drops  in  a  gentle 
shower  from  the  oar.  The  lake  itself  never 
becomes  monotonous.  It  toys  with  our  feel- 
ings as  if  it  were  a  practiced  coquette.  We 
never  can  tell  one  hour  what  aspect  it  will 
present  in  the  next.  Sometimes,  it  is  a  mirror 
in  which  the  clouds  may  make  their  toilet.  It 
is  delightful  then  to  dip  the  oar  into  the  mol- 
ten glass,  and  leave  a  long  retinue  of  airy- 
domed  bubbles  in  the  wake.  Again,  the  lake 
is  a  wrinkled  sheet,  ruffled  by  coy  breezes. 
The  same  gentle  gale  that  fans  the  water  fans 
the  oarsman,  and  gives  a  new  impulse  to  his 
blade.  Or,  later,  the  wrinkled  sheet  becomes 
a  wild,  tempestuous  sea,  rolling  with  billows, 
crested  with  foam.     The  fisherman  can  then 


SPOON  AND  SINKER.  211 

no  longer  lightly  pull  with  his  arms,  bnt  must 
throw  all  the  stren^jth  of  les:  and  back  into 
the  effort. 

If  his  line  is  out,  the  troller  may  not  go 
too  near  the  shore  ;  and  yet  the  shore  never 
loses  its  interest  for  his  eye.  It  furnishes 
him  with  landmarks  by  which  he  determines 
his  position.  He  has  learned  to  mark  the 
bottom  by  the  contour  and  piquancies  of  the 
shore.  Away  on  a  lofty  hill  is  a  solitary  tree. 
It  stands  like  a  sentinel  on  that  eminence. 
The  fisherman  has  discovered  that  there  is 
a  very  definite  relation  between  that  hill  on 
shore  and  another  hill  which  lies  buried  in 
the  water  beneath  him.  He  knows  the  anjrle 
which  the  bow  of  his  boat  should  bear  toward 
that  friendly  tree,  to  pass  in  safety  the  ob- 
struction beneath.  The  whole  shore  is  his 
chart.  He  has  learned  to  read  it.  Yet  it  is 
riways  poetic  in  its  utility.  The  sky  line  of 
the  hills  dips  and  rises  as  we  move  slowly  along 
beyond  reach  of  its  shadow.  There  is  no  mo- 
notony in  the  foliage.  It  is  a  luxurious  in- 
terblending  of  maple  and  hemlock,   spruce, 


212  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

cedar,  and  birch.  We  not  only  recognize  the 
trees  in  families :  we  have  come  to  individu- 
alize them.  We  feel  a  sense  of  personal  re- 
lationship toward  many  of  them.  Even  the 
distant  ones  are  not  remote  from  our  com- 
panionship. There  is  a  tree  fully  five  miles 
away,  seeming  like  a  little  bush  against  the 
sky  ;  yet  we  know  that,  when  the  stern  of 
our  boat  is  in  line  with  that  tree,  we  shall  not 
be  suddenly  called  to  account  by  the  grapnel 
at  the  bottom  for  swerving  from  the  right 
path.  -The  isolated  trees  on  the  distant  hills 
assume  animated  shapes  under  the  wand  of 
imagination.  A  group  of  three,  representing 
a  man  and  woman  accompanied  by  a  dog,  is 
so  persistent  in  its  suggestions  that  it  seems 
almost  real.  The  smoke  rising  from  a  farm- 
house up  on  the  hill  gives  a  human  interest 
to  the  scene.  The  tall  poles  fixed  at  regular 
intervals  mark  the  line  of  the  road  which 
runs  along  the  hill-top  away  on  the  east 
shore.  The  telephone  has  pierced  Canadian 
forests.  While  we  are  gently  rowing,  the 
human  voice  —  with  the  swiftness  of  thought 


SPOON  AND  SINKER.  213 

—  is  speeding  its  messages,  bounding  over  hill 
and  valley,  gorge  and  stream,  but  never  losing 
its  way.  And  yet  it  is  not  the  human  voice 
at  all,  but  a  form  of  motion  which  we  can 
name,  but  not  explain. 

But  there  is  a  third  element  in  the  scen- 
ery, and  this  the  most  poetic  of  all,  —  the 
scenery  of  the  sky.  The  imagination  cannot 
range  far  on  the  shore,  for  the  world  of  fact 
constantly  challenges  its  purported  fictions. 
It  may  dive  deep  into  the  lake,  and  picture 
whole  schools  of  large  and  luscious  trout 
eager  to  catch  the  whirling  spoon.  But  we 
have  too  much  experience  to  be  deceived  by 
such  phantasms.  When  it  mounts  to  the  sky, 
however,  it  may  range  with  unchecked  exu- 
berance. The  ever-shifting  clouds  furnish 
endless  material  for  its  creations.  It  peoples 
the  heavens  once  more  with  enormous  giants, 
and  lets  loose  whole  menageries  of  living 
creatures,  —  elephants  whiter  than  the  Rose 
of  India  and  lari>:er  than  the  mourncd-for 
Jumbo,  lions  of  indescribable  vigor,  polar 
bears,  tigers,  camels.     We  pause  to  give  a 


214  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

few  moments  to  the  prosaic  task  of  examining 
our  line,  when,  presto  !  the  whole  scene  has 
changed.  The  menageries  have  consolidated, 
as  menageries  are  apt  to  do,  and  have  finally 
been  swept  out  of  existence.  We  witness  a 
magnificent  example  of  cloud-hnilding.  There 
are  castles  in  the  air  with  lofty  towers  and 
impregnable  ramparts.  The  castles  melt  into 
a  man-of-war,  which  floats  on  the  air  current, 
until  it  settles  on  Owl's  Head,  as  the  ark 
rested  on  Ararat,  but  only  to  be  wrecked  and 
dissipated  into  a  lovely  veil,  which  shrouds 
the  mountain  peak  in  its  delicate  folds. 
Sometimes,  the  blue  canvas  is  entirely  clear, 
not  a  speck  of  white  cloud  on  its  surface. 
Sometimes,  a  few  wreaths  of  mist  float  over 
us  like  white  gulls.  The  next  day  there  are 
vast  argosies  of  cloud.  Great  brigades  of 
mist  wheel  into  battle-line,  and  move  across 
the  sky  with  unbroken  front.  There  is  the 
low  rumble  of  artillery.  We  put  on  our 
waterproofs,  but  we  do  not  think  of  going 
ashore.  Blacker  and  blacker  grow  the  cloud 
masses.     The  lightning  gleams  in  the  sky. 


SPOON  AND  SINKl^H.  215 

and  the  rain  bocjlns  to  fall  on  the  surface  of 
the  Like.  First  a  rini»'  liere,  tlicii  a  riiiix 
tliere,  then  a  score  of  them,  then  myriads. 
Every  drop  tliat  falls  upon  the  water  has  its 
rebound.  It  not  only  rains  down,  hut  it  rains 
up.  Millions  on  millions  of  silver  pellets  leap 
from  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  then  sink 
again  into  the  circle  they  have  made.  The 
lake  seems  to  be  covered  with  a  hea\'y  frost. 
In  a  few  minutes,  the  rain  has  spent  its  force 
and  ceases  ahnost  as  suddenly  as  it  began, 
only,  perhaps,  to  be  renewed  a  few  minutes 
later.  It  is  a  storm,  however,  with  no  fierce- 
ness. The  clouds  have  simply  come  down  to 
take  a  bath ;  and  the  dark,  heavy  masses 
show  us  that  the  bath  is  not  yet  completed. 
Yet,  in  the  south.  Owl's  Head  stands  out 
clear  cut  from  base  to  peak,  though  heavily 
shaded  by  the  black  clouds  that  cut  off  the 
light  of  the  sun  in  the  west.  A  little  streamer 
of  mist  floats  idly  above  the  mountain  peak, 
and  to  the  left  a  lonjx  cloud  ribbon  seems  to 
be  preparing  to  encircle  its  head.  To  the 
north,  a  pale,  almost  supernatural  light  trans- 


216  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

figures  the  fleecy  masses  of  white.  Once 
more,  the  raindrops  patter  on  the  lake  ;  but 
it  is  a  Hght  and  gentle  shower,  ^ye  watch 
with  eajjerness  to  see  what  is  to  be  the  reso- 
lution  of  the  picture.  There  are  clouds  of 
leaden  hue,  clouds  of  white,  and  others  of 
inky  blackness,  and  no  sign  of  color  on  the 
canvas.  Will  the  leaden  hue  spread  over  the 
sky  ?  For  a  few  minutes,  the  intentions  of 
the  Artist  are  left  in  doubt.  Then  there  is  a 
rift  in  the  dark  mass.  Veins  of  silver  and 
gold  convert  it  into  precious  ore.  There  is  a 
silent  yet  concerted  breaking  up.  A  grand 
water-color  exhibition  it  is,  —  dyes  of  lovely 
blue,  a  few  floating  clouds  of  saffron,  streaks 
of  claret  red,  and  stretches  of  pale  green,  and 
bands  of  old  gold,  touched  with  delicate  and 
indefinable  pigments  !  What  a  magnificent 
canvas,  and  how  beautifully  the  colors  are 
laid  !  In  the  east,  the  reconciling  rainbow 
stretches  its  broad  chromatic  arch  with  un- 
broken span.  And,  now,  the  sun  is  going 
down  in  the  west  with  unspeakable  splendor. 
The  whole  air  is  saturated  with  a  soft  crim- 


SPOON  AND  SINKER.  217 

son  light,  which  bathes  the  hills  and  lake  in 
its  delicate  glow.  If  this  were  to  be  the  last 
day  of  the  world,  Nature  could  not  have 
brought  it  to  a  finer  close.  Gradually,  the 
crimson  veil  is  lifted,  tlio  red  and  gold  fade 

into  purple. 

We  turn  our  boat  to  the  shore,  and  bless 
the  charm  of  the  day,  with  its  rhythm  of  wind 
and  wave  and  its  indescribable  beauties  of  color. 
Eight  hours  have  we  spent  on  the  lake,  com- 
ing in  only  for  breakfast  and  dinner.  As  ,ve 
near  the  wharf,  the  children  run  down  to  the 
shore,  and  shout,  "  Did  you  get  anything  ?  " 
—  as  though  this  day  of  ours  could  be 
weighed  in  the  scales  and  baked  in  a  pan  ! 
What  have  we  caught  ?  A  ledge  or  two, 
perhaps,  a  few  twigs  from  the  bottom ;  but 
something  more.  We  have  caught  the  charm 
of  the  sunrise,  and  been  kindk^d  with  its 
glow ;  we  have  caught  the  inspiration  of  the 
infinite  blue  above  us,  and  reveled  in  the  fan- 
tastic imagery  of  mist  and  cloud  forms ;  Ave 
have  rejoiced  in  the  rich  drapery  of  the  forest 
and  the  fresh  verdure  of  the  field ;  we  have 


218  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

climbed  the  mountains  at  a  glance,  and  wan- 
dered over  the  peaks  of  Orford  and  Elephan- 
tis ;  we  have  seen  the  swift  transitions  of  the 
lake  moods,  the  placid  mirror  moulded  into 
the  billowy  sea.  The  shower  has  caught  us  ; 
but  we  have  also  caught  the  shower,  and  seen 
its  clouds  dissolve  into  the  lake  cup.  We  shall 
sail  on  those  clouds  to-morrow,  and  drop  our 
spoon  and  sinker  in  them.  We  have  seen  the 
lake  rimed  with  a  silver  sheen  and  graven 
with  circles  like  the  tracery  on  a  watch ;  we 
have  seen  the  glorified  span  of  the  rainbow 
and  the  poem  of  the  sunset.  Nature  has 
opened  her  door  to  us,  and  shown  us  her 
treasures  as  a  bride  shows  her  trousseau.  This 
is  a  catch  which  cannot  be  weighed  or  served 
up  at  a  camp  dinner,  except  in  the  form  of 
grateful  emotions.  We  have  stored  up  muscle 
of  body  and  beautiful  pictures  for  the  mind. 
By  the  reckoning  of  Washington  market,  we 
have  lost  a  day.  As  we  measure  it  ourselves, 
we  have  gained  one,  the  value  of  which  can- 
not be  reckoned  by  the  piece  of  coin  which 
we  failed  to  find  in  a  fish's  mouth. 


SPOON  AND  SINKER.  219 

Do  not  think,  however,  that  solitude  is  the 
only  condition  in  which  this  poetry  of  trolling 
can  be  enjoyed.  On  the  contrary,  a  fresh 
poetic  element  is  introduced  when  a  lady  sits 
in  the  stern  of  the  boat,  holds  the  line  in  her 
gloved  hand,  and,  while  practicing  her  artful 
allurements  on  the  watery  world  beneath, 
lends  the  charm  of  her  presence  to  the  things 
which  are  above. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

TO    BROME    LAKE. 

It  is  a  part  of  the  yearly  plan  of  the  Shay- 
backs  to  make  one  or  two  trips  from  then- 
permanent  camp  on  Memphremagog  into  the 
interior.  Across  the  lake  from  their  camp- 
ing-ground may  be  seen  against  tlie  sky  the 
Avavy  outline  of  the  Bolton  Mountains,  broken 
sharply  in  one  place  by  a  V-shaped  cleft. 
Several  miles  beyond  this  cleft  lies  Brome 
Lake,  reputed  to  be  rich  in  bass  and  pickerel, 
and  withal  one  of  the  prettiest  cups  which 
the  mountain  holds  in  the  hollow  of  its  hand. 

"  To  Brome  Lake  it  is,"  was  the  unanimous 
vote  of  all  those  in  camp  who  are  entitled  to 
the  exercise  of  suffrage,  a  privilege  which  is 
not  limited  by  sex,  color,  or  previous  condition 
of  servitude. 

The  expedition,  as  organized,  consisted  of 


TO  BROME  LAKE.  221 

Calvin  and  his  son  Frank,  Arline,  Digit,  Dio- 
datus,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Siiayback.  Mrs. 
Ganzbacli  generously  volunteered  to  remain 
in  camp  to  take  care  of  the  children.  The 
lunch-baskets  were  well  packed.  Waterproofs, 
fishing  tackle,  a  hatchet,  and  a  small  supply 
of  rope  were  a  part  of  the  excursion  outfit. 
The  trip  from  camp  to  Georgeville,  a  mile 
distant,  was  made  in  small  boats  under  escort 
of  the  children.  As  no  vehicle  of  sullicient 
size  could  be  obtained  on  the  opposite  shore 
of  the  lake,  Mr.  Tuck's  team,  already  familiar 
to  the  excursionists,  had  been  engaged  for  the 
trip,  and  met  the  party  at  the  wharf  Avhere 
the  ferry-boat  Memphremagog  was  lying,  de- 
veloping the  energy  necessary  for  the  passage. 
The  Memphremagog  embodies  none  of  the 
beauty  of  the  lake  after  which  it  is  named. 
It  is  built  like  a  catamaran,  with  a  single 
paddle-wheel,  which  is  not  placed  behind  like 
a  Western  river  steamer,  but  just  aft  the  cen- 
tre of  the  boat.  It  is  a  double-decker,  with 
room  for  several  teams,  provided  the  horses 
are    unharnessed    before    embarkation.      It 


222  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

makes  two  trips  across  the  lake  daily,  one  at 
8.30  A.  M.  and  the  other  at  5  p.  m.  It  spends 
the  inter  \  ning  time  in  such  johs  as  it  may 
pick  up.  It  is  capahle  of  running  where 
there  is  a  small  degree  of  moisture ;  but  its 
feeble  engine  propels  it  with  a  series  of  pain- 
ful, wheezing  gasps,  which  excite  the  sympa- 
thy of  the  passenger.  It  can  possibly  make 
five  miles  an  hour,  under  favorable  circum- 
stances ;  but  these  circumstances  did  not  ex- 
ist on  the  day  referred  to.  Its  crew  consists 
of  captain,  engineer,  and  a  boy. 

Team,  baggage,  and  excursionists  were  duly 
embarked.  By  crowding  and  manoeuvring 
room  w^as  also  provided  for  four  open  bug- 
gies and  horses.  Thus  laden  the  lines  were 
cast  off,  and  the  ferry-boat,  which  resembles 
Noah's  ark,  slightly  modernized,  set  out  for 
the  opposite  shore.  When  about  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  from  the  landing  shouts  were  heard 
from  the  wharf,  and  a  man  with  another 
horse  and  buggy  was  seen  gesticulating  vio- 
lently. He  had  arrived  just  too  late  to  take 
the  boat ;    and  as  the  next  trip  would  not  be 


TO  BROME  LAKE.  223 

made  until  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  the 
thouo^ht  of  waitinjj  ei^ht  hours  for  a  chance 
to  cross  had  engendered  active  emotions.  But 
it  was  impossible  to  enlarge  the  boat  at  such 
short  notice,  and  the  captain  was  saved  the 
temptation  of  returning  for  an  additional 
fare. 

Opposite  Georgeville  on  the  west  shore  of 
the  lake  rises  a  lofty  cliff  known  as  Gibraltar. 
Here  the  first  settlement  on  the  lake  is  said 
to  have  been  made.  No  trace  of  the  original 
occupancy  is  visible ;  but  in  a  little  bay  under 
the  shadow  of  this  cliff  is  a  miniature  wharf 
where  passengers  are  landed  for  Peasley's 
Corner,  a  village  consisting  mainly  of  two 
churches,  a  store,  and  a  blacksmith  shop. 
The  landing  at  this  point  was  made  without 
difficiUty,  and  all  the  teams  save  one  disem- 
barked. But  in  attempting  to  move  off,  the 
hawser  caught  fast  in  a  log  and  swung  the 
boat  around  upon  the  beach. 

"  She 's  aground,"  said  the  captain,  and 
ranjj  the  bell  to  back.  But  the  enmne  was 
in   a   feebler  condition   than   usual   from    a 


224  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

cause  subsequently  revealed,  and  the  boat 
would  not  budge.  The  captain  rushed  down 
from  the  pilot-house  and  jumped  overboard. 
Arthur,  the  boy,  who  was  on  the  wharf, 
joined  the  captain  in  the  water,  and  the  two 
applied  their  united  strength  against  the  side 
of  the  boat,  while  the  engineer  looked  help- 
lessly over  the  rail.  Mr.  Tuck  and  Mr.  Shay- 
back  seized  a  pole  and  drove  it  into  the  sand. 
Arline  seized  another  and  did  likewise.  She 
had  not  served  as  deck-hand  on  a  small  steam 
yacht  in  vain.  The  combined  force  of  heroic 
wills  and  persistent  muscles  was  too  much  for 
the  stubborn  inertia  of  the  Memphremagog. 
She  swung  slowly  from  the  beach  into  deep 
water,  and  the  captain,  watching  his  opportu- 
nity, sprang  aboard.  But  the  faithful  Arthur 
stayed  a  moment  too  long,  and  was  soon  up 
to  his  neck  in  water  and  the  boat  slowly 
leaving  him.  A  rope  was  flung  to  him  from 
the  deck ;  and,  Mr.  Tuck,  Mr.  Shayback,  and 
the  captain  taking  hold,  he  was  drawn  up  as 
though  he  had  been  a  huge  fish.  His  good- 
nature was  water-proof,  and  he  proceeded  to 


TO  BROME  LAKE.  225 

empty  his  boots  and  wring  liimself  out  as  if 
this  were  a  part  of  his  daily  experience. 

The  Shaybacks  congratuhited  themselves 
on  avoidinjj  what  mi^ht  have  been  a  vexa- 
tious  delay.  When  it  was  discovered,  how- 
ever, that  the  boat  had  nearly  another  mile 
to  run  before  reaching  Knowlton's  Landing, 
and  that  every  stick  of  wood  had  been  cast 
into  the  fire-box,  the  advantage  of  pushing 
off  from  the  shore  was  questionable.  The 
engine  wheezed  and  gasped  more  than  ever, 
the  piston  showed  a  feebler  pulse,  and  the 
fuel  was  in  the  last  stages  of  consumption. 
The  resource  of  the  captain  did  not  desert 
him.  He  looked  about  for  some  object  with 
which  to  replenish  the  slowly  dying  flame. 
There  was  nothins:  inflammable  in  the  cari»;o. 
But  the  captain  was  not  discomfited.  With 
admirable  decision  he  determined  to  set  his 
boat  afire  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  up 
steam.  He  seized  an  axe,  tore  off  a  i)lank, 
and  the  resolute  Arthur  cut  it  into  lenoths 
for  the  hungry  furnace.  It  was  a  dangerous 
precedent  to  set,  and  one  that  needed  to  be 


22G  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

exercised  within  obvious  limitations.  The 
good  judgment  of  the  captain  was  evident 
throughout  this  transaction.  Had  he  taken 
a  plank  from  the  bottom  of  the  boat  instead 
of  somewhere  on  the  top,  our  voyage  would 
have  been  rapidly  shortened,  and  the  fires 
under  the  boiler  would  have  been  effectually 
quenched.  Or  had  he  set  lire  to  the  plank 
before  separating  it  from  the  rest  of  the  boat 
the  danger  from  too  much  fire  would  have 
been  greater  than  that  which  we  suffered 
from  having  too  little.  There  was  only  one 
way  in  which  the  captain  could  have  showed 
better  judgment  than  he  did,  and  that  was 
by  taking  a  sufficient  quantity  of  wood  to 
start  with. 

Inspired  by  the  ardor  of  this  new  plank 
the  engine  took  a  fresh  start,  and  passengers 
and  teams  were  soon  landed  safely  on  the 
shore.  The  conveyance  hired  by  the  Shay- 
backs  was  the  open,  three-seated  stage  used 
on  the  ten-mile  route  from  Georjreville  to 
Smith's  Mills,  and  the  horses  may  be  prop- 
erly described  as  old  stagers.     One  of  them 


TO  BROME  LAKE.  227 

had  long  before  received  a  "  Doctor's  "  di- 
ploma from  his  owner,  whether  out  of  com- 
pliment to  the  medical  or  clerical  profession 
I  know  not.  But  Mr.  Shayback,  who  handled 
the  ribbons,  chose  to  regard  him  as  a  doctor 
of  philosophy,  because  of  the  philosophical 
way  in  which  he  shirked  his  half  of  the  load. 
The  other  horse,  a  little  black,  an  active,  am- 
bitious creature,  ought  long  since  to  have 
sued  for  a  divorce  from  the  ''  Doctor,"  and 
found  a  mate  better  fitted  to  her  pace  in 
life. 

There  could  not  be  a  greater  contrast  to  a 
prairie  ride  than  one  over  Canadian  hills  and 
through  Canadian  forests.  Tough  hills  they 
were  to  climb  and  steep  descents,  when  Mr. 
Shayback  had  to  take  a  short  hold  on  the 
reins  and  give  a  strong  push  on  the  brakes. 
Enormous  masses  of  rock  jutted  out  from  the 
hill-tops  or  flanked  the  roadside,  assuming 
fantastic  shapes  under  a  jiliant  imagination, 
the  most  familiar  to  Mr.  Shayback  being  that 
of  a  fish's  head,  especially  that  of  a  lake 
trout.     His  devotion  to  this  fish  finds  anal- 


228  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

Ogles  in  cloiuls  and  landscape,  and  realities 
in  the  depths  and  shallows  of  i\Ieni[)hrema- 
gog.  The  first  part  of  our  way  lay  through 
beautiful  maple  orchards.  Indeed,  the  maple 
was  never  far  from  our  path.  The  mountain 
sides  were  clothed  in  white  birch  and  cedar, 
with  alternations  of  ash,  spruce,  elm,  beech, 
poplar,  hemlock,  and  occasional  pines.  For 
a  time  our  road  skirted  Sargent's  Bay,  an 
arm  of  Memphremagog.  Then  we  were  left 
alone  with  the  forests  and  mountains.  A 
vast  blackberry  patch,  too  far  from  a  market 
to  tempt  the  picker's  cupidity,  offered  a  chal- 
lenge of  fruit  and  brambles,  which  was 
promptly  accepted  by  the  party.  Enough 
was  gathered  in  a  short  time  for  a  generous 
dessert  to  our  lunch,  which  was  reinforced 
by  milk,  maple  sugar,  and  boiled  potatoes 
obtained  from  a  farmhouse. 

In  the  ride  of  fourteen  miles  the  only  vil- 
lage we  passed  through  v/as  one  of  half  a 
dozen  houses,  called  Rexford's  Corner.  As 
we  advanced  the  way  grew  more  open,  and 
the  hot  sun  less  agreeable  than  the  shade  we 


TO  BllOME  LAKE.  220 

had  left  behind.  Early  in  the  afternoon  we 
reached  our  destination,  the  village  of  Knowl- 
ton  at  the  head  of  Bronie  Lake.  A  brisk 
and  enterprising  village  it  is,  Avitli  about  eight 
hundred  inhabitants,  three  churches,  two  ho- 
tels, seven  stores,  a  pump  factory,  and  a  large 
tannery.  An  orphans'  home  is  also  situated 
here.  We  noticed  several  fine  residences  in 
the  midst  of  luxuriant  gardens.  At  the  Lake 
View  House  excellent  accommodation  for  man 
and  beast  was  found  at  very  reasonable  rates. 
Just  think  of  supper,  lodging,  and  breakfast 
for  seventy-five  cents ! 

The  lake  is  but  a  short  walk  from  the 
hotel.  It  is  about  three  miles  by  four  in  ex- 
tent, —  a  beautiful  sheet  of  water,  with  low 
banks  and  sedges,  and  a  few  hills  in  the  dis- 
tance. A  wooded  island  near  the  centre  of 
the  lake  is  one  of  its  pleasantest  features. 
Neither  in  extent,  variety,  nor  picturesqueness 
can  it  compare  with.  Memphremagog.  It 
lacks  its  rocky  shores  and  its  bulwark  of 
mountains.  By  means  of  a  branch  road  to 
Sutton  Junction  Brome  Lake  taps  the  rail- 


230  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP, 

road  from  Boston  to  Montreal,  and  is  about 
sixty  miles  distant  from  the  latter  city. 
Sportsmen  are  lured  from  Montreal  by  the 
abundance  of  pickerel  and  black  bass.  A 
beautiful  string  of  bass  weighing  twenty-nine 
pounds,  and  one  of  the  fish  weighing  seven 
and  three  quarters,  was  taken  the  day  of  our 
stay.  A  man,  we  were  told,  —  and  we  al- 
ways were  susceptible  to  fish  stories,  —  could 
sometimes  catch  a  barrel  of  pickerel  in  a  day. 

Two  boats  were  hired,  a  voyage  was  made 
to  the  island,  and  a  bath  taken  in  the  de- 
lightful waters  of  the  lake.  Arline  and  Mr. 
Shayback  in  one  boat,  and  Calvin  and  the 
boys  in  another,  essayed  to  catch  a  barrel  of 
pickerel.  Arline  landed  a  beautiful  two- 
pounder  ;  but  her  success  proved  ruinous  to 
the  spoon,  and  the  sun  soon  went  down  upon 
our  humiliation  and  an  empty  barrel.  In 
another  venture  in  the  early  morn  the  spoon 
was  lost  altogether ;  but  we  believe  that  there 
is  still  a  barrel  of  pickerel  in  Brome  Lake 
waiting  for  our  hooks. 

Though  spending  a  single  night  at  Brome 


TO  BROME  LAKE.  231 

Lake  we  could  see  easily  how  one  could  pass 
a  delightful  vacation  on  its  shores,  especially 
the  lover  of  rod  and  gun. 

Our  journey  lion^e  was  made  through  the 
Bolton  Notch.  The  day  was  tempered  with 
a  cool,  refreshing  breeze,  and  the  road  lay 
through  grateful  forest  shades  and  between 
rocky  cliffs.  On  the  top  of  the  mountain  Ave 
paused  awhile  at  Coon  Pond,  famous  in  this 
region  for  its  trout.  A  scow  was  hired  from 
two  small  boys,  and  an  hour  was  spent  on 
the  pond  or  in  its  vicinity,  Mrs.  Shayback 
seeking  to  catch  some  of  its  beauty  with  her 
camera,  and  Arline  seeking  to  catch  some  of 
its  fish  with  her  hook. 

Mrs.  Shayback's  plates  have  long  since  been 
developed,  but  no  amount  of  time  will  suffice 
to  develop  Arline's  mythical  fish.  It  was  just 
at  this  point  that  Calvin  and  Digit  deter- 
mined to  start  on  and  hunt  for  blackberries, 
assuming  that  they  would  eventually  l)e  over- 
taken by  the  team.  When  the  march  was 
once  more  resumed,  no  answer  was  returned 
to   signal  shouts  from   Mr.  Shayback.     We 


232  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

drove  on  until  a  high  hill  was  reached  and  a 
small  house  was  passed.  No  travelers  had 
been  seen  that  way.  Mr.  Shayback  sounded 
war  whoops  until  his  throat  was  hoarse  ;  but 
Digit's  well-known  loon  wail  was  not  heard  in 
reply.  What  had  become  of  the  wanderers  ? 
Had  they  been  eaten  by  bears  ?  Had  they 
impaled  themselves  on  a  blackberry-bush  or 
lost  themselves  in  the  woods  ?  A  search  ex- 
pedition was  organized.  Diodatus  started 
ahead  on  the  trail,  while  Frank  took  the 
back  track  over  the  hill.  In  a  few  minutes 
a  signal  call  from  Dio  announced  that  the 
wanderers  had  been  found.  They  had  not 
been  hugged  or  eaten  by  bears.  They  had  not 
been  impaled  on  a  blackberry-bush.  They 
were  sitting  in  the  shade  by  the  roadside, 
waiting  for  the  team.  The  keen  perception 
of  our  Roxbury  scout  had  discovered  the 
prints  of  an  American  foot  on  Canadian  soil ; 
and,  with  much  emotion,  the  relief  expedition 
and  the  survivors  were  received  into  the 
bosom  of  the  wagon. 

The  lovely  features  of  this  ride  are  photo- 


TO  BROME  LAKE.  233 

graphed  in  the  mind  with  a  distinctness  which 
Mrs.  Shayback's  camera  could  not  surpass. 
Long  to  be  remembered  will  be  the  pictur- 
esque halting-placo  through  a  narrow  defile 
shaded  by  forest  trees,  where  a  beautiful 
brook  ran  over  the  mossy  rocks  on  one  side  of 
the  road,  and  a  cold  spring  trickled  into  a 
natural  cup  in  the  rocks  on  the  other  side. 
Blackberries  by  the  million  offered  themselves 
for  the  picking.  The  horses  were  unhar- 
nessed and  drank  eagerly  from  the  rocky 
basin.  Lunch  was  eaten  by  the  brook  side, 
and  Mr.  Shayback's  cold  brook-soaked  oat- 
meal crackers  were  pronounced  rarely  deli- 
cious. Beautiful  moss,  delicate  forget-me-nots, 
and  wild  clematis  were  floral  trophies  of  the 
ride. 

It  was  on  this  trip  that  Mr.  Shayback 
earned  as  a  driver  the  appellation  of  Hank 
Monk.  Readers  of  Mark  Twain's  "  Rouffhing^ 
It,"  or  of  Richardson's  "  Beyond  the  Missis- 
sippi," will  not  forget  the  prominent  part 
which  this  noted  Jehu  plays  in  Western  my- 
thology. The  way  in  which  he  "  put  Horace 
Greeley  through"  when  that  soul  of  honesty 


234  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

was  on  a  lecturing  tour,  is  a  tradition  as  well 
established  in  the  West  as  the  story  of  the 
flood  is  in  the  East.  When  Mr.  Greeley's 
head  popped  through  the  top  of  the  coach, 
he  told  Hank  that  he  need  n't  drive  quite  so 
fast ;  but  Hank  told  him  not  to  mind,  he 
would  put  him  through,  and  so  he  did.  Mr. 
Shayback  has  earned  the  similar  glory  of 
"  putting  through "  the  passengers  on  the 
hind  seat  of  the  stage.  Fortunately  there 
was  no  top  to  the  stage  to  impede  their  flight 
into  the  air  when  at  the  foot  of  a  hill  we  flew 
over  the  holes  and  "  thank  yer  ma'ams."  But 
Mr.  Shayback  told  them  not  to  mind,  he 
would  "  put  them  through,"  and  so  he  did. 
The  horses  and  the  stage  stood  it  beautifully ; 
and  when,  finally,  "  Hank  "  Shayback  turned 
them  over  to  Harry,  the  teamster,  when  the 
journey  was  finished,  "  There  is  no  man," 
said  Harry,  "  I  'd  rather  let  drive  my  team 
than  Mr.  Shayback." 

To   Mr.    Shayback    this    compliment  was 
worth  more  than  all  the  butter  and  honey 
which  we  bought  at  Farmer  Tuck's  on  the 
way  hbmc. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

MASSAWIPPI. 

The  very  name  has  an  enticing  sound.  In 
its  soft,  lisping  syllables,  one  can  almost  hear 
the  waters  of  the  beautiful  lake,  whose  name 
it  is,  lapping  the  shores.  We  had  long  heard 
of  Lake  Massawippi.  At  last  we  determined 
to  see  it.  Who  "we"  were  does  not  matter 
an  atom  ;  but  there  were  five  of  us,  four  wo- 
men and  one  man,  and  a  pair  of  horses. 

It  was  a  cool,  brisk  autumn  morning,  with 
the  sun  peering  over  billows  of  mist  that 
skirted  the  mountains,  when  the  big  team 
that  was  to  carry  us  the  seventeen  miles  drove 
up.  Wraps  and  shawls,  and  a  very  ancient 
buffalo  robe,  exceedingly  bald  in  spots,  were 
comfortable  in  the  chilly  air.  Luncheon  and 
hand-bags,  camera  and  tripod,  were  handed 
in,  and  away  we  drove. 


236  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

For  miles  the  road  led  up  and  up,  till  at 
last  a  beautiful  "panorama  of  hill  and  dale, 
mountain  and  valley,  lay  spread  out  before  us, 
with  Lake  Memphremagog  sleeping  peace- 
fully in  the  midst.  For  this  was  a  side-trip 
from  the  tented  field  on  its  tranquil  shores. 

Such  views  are  exhilarating.  They  raise 
one's  thoughts  and  aspirations  ;  and,  in  such 
lofty  air,  one  thinks  no  longer  of  rocky  roads 
or  hard-springed  wagons.  Then  came  shady 
woods  where  the  graceful  maiden-hair  fern 
grew  in  great  bunches  almost  as  the  common- 
est ferns  in  Massachusetts  grow.  The  sun 
rode  high,  and  the  lights  and  shadows  of  the 
forest  j^rimeval  were  bewitching.  Now  and 
then  a  wood  bird  or  a  squirrel  darted  about 
among  the  trees  ;  but,  aside  from  this,  no  life 
save  that  of  the  growing  vegetable  world  ap- 
peared. Once  in  a  great  while,  a  little  open- 
ing in  the  wood,  a  rough  clearing,  and  a  rude 
log  cabin  broke  the  monotony  ;  and  the  little 
children,  that  invariably  were  playing  outside, 
stared  in  surprise  as  we  rattled  past. 

As  dinner  time  approached,  we  drove  up  to 


MASSAWIPPL  237 

a  cozy  farmhouse  for  a  pitcher  of  milk.  The 
buzz  of  spinning'-wheels  was  heard  within. 
Hosanna,  whose  only  acquaintance  with  that 
homely  machine  was  as  a  modern  parlor  orna- 
ment, jumped  out  of  the  wagon,  and  went  in 
to  "  see  the  wheel  go  round."  Such  interest 
on  her  part  was  as  much  a  curiosity  to  the 
buxom  spinner  as  was  the  spinning  to  the 
Yankee  girl.  No  milk  could  we  get,  how- 
ever. 

The  next  farmhouse  supplied  us  with  a 
bottle  of  delicious  milk,  fresh  tomatoes  from 
the  vine,  new  apples,  and  a  plateful  of  hot 
potatoes  in  their  jackets.  We  drove  under 
the  shade  of  some  overhanging  trees,  and, 
with  this  addition  to  the  luncheon  Ave  had 
brought,  had  a  repast  fit  for  a  king. 

At  last,  a  turn  in  the  road  revealed  to  us 
the  lake,  lying  like  a  letter  S  among  the  green 
hills.  But  our  first  point  of  interest  was  be- 
yond the  lake,  a  mile  or  more,  a  wild  glen 
or  gorge  where  the  Burroughs  River  comes 
tumblino"  down  in  falls  that  shatter  the  water 
into  froth  and  foam  and  crystal  beads. 


238  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

Tying  our  horses  to  a  Virginia  fence,  which 
they  took  the  liberty  to  tear  down  in  our 
absence,  we  clambered  down  the  glen  side  till 
we  could  look  up  at  the  beautiful  cascade. 
Hemmed  in  by  abrupt  stone  walls,  and  broken 
everywhere  in  its  course  by  huge  masses  of 
fallen  rock,  it  comes  dancing  down  in  frantic 
haste,  as  if  to  free  itself  in  the  troubled  river 
below.  It  is  a  wild,  picturesque  place,  almost 
unknown  to  modern  travelers,  yet  well  worth 
a  visit.  The  camera  was  called  into  use  to 
catch  a  part  of  its  beauty  ;  but  the  play  of 
light  and  shade,  the  richness  of  coloring  in 
rock,  tree,  and  sky,  eluded  us,  as  they  always 
elude  the  best  endeavors. 

The  quiet  afternoon,  with  the  sunset  bright- 
ness on  lake  and  shore,  lured  us  back  to  the 
side  of  Massawippi.  A  boatman  was  found 
who  proved  to  be  a  character.  As  he  pulled 
steadily  on  with  his  sinewy  arms,  —  by  trade 
he  was  a  blacksmith,  —  he  kept  time  with  his 
tongue,  telling,  in  quaint,  original  English, 
tales  of  the  neighborhood.  Beneath  us  where 
we  rowed,  a  fine  new  sleigh  was  lost  through 


MASSAWIPPI.  239 

the  ice  last  winter.  Yonder,  a  stranger  fish- 
erman was  npset  in  his  log  boat,  while  trying 
to  land  a  twenty-five-pound  sturgeon.  Be- 
yond that  point,  the  Burroughs  River  flowed 
into  the  lake,  named  from  the  famous  coun- 
terfeiter and  thief  who  milled  "  hard  money  " 
in  a  cave  near  the  falls,  and  sold  it  afterward 
in  Boston  for  ten  cents  a  dollar.  He  had  a 
charmed  life.  Twice  condemned  to  death,  ho 
picked  his  prison  locks,  changed  his  name, 
became  a  minister,  lived  to  old  age,  and  died 
in  his  bed,  a  finale  which  our  informant 
seemed  to  think  a  great  piece  of  injustice. 
Into  the  next  bay  the  waters  of  the  Tomopho- 
bia  flow.  Calmed  down  from  its  boisterous 
course  in  Stanstead,  it  becomes  placid  and 
deep,  and  forms  a  home  for  untold  schools  of 
fish. 

The  lake  itself  is  marvelous  in  this  respect. 
Sturgeon,  lake  trout,  salmon  trout,  masqu'al- 
longe,  bass,  perch,  shad,  and  chub  abound ; 
and,  during  certain  seasons  of  the  year,  hun- 
dreds of  pounds  are  caught. 

Our  boatman  finally  discovered  that  he  had 


240  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

lived  ten  years  in  the  same  town  with  one  of 
his  passengers,  whereupon  he  grew  garrulous 
and  poured  out  reminiscence  after  reminis- 
cence, accompanied  by  dry  wdt  and  shrewd 
remarks  that  kept  his  listeners  more  than  a 
little  amused. 

At  last  the  weary  oars  were  laid  down  ;  and 
we  found  our  way  back  to  the  smartly  painted 
hotel,  where  a  stifled  night,  after  the  fresh  air 
of  tent  dwellings,  awaited  us. 

The  next  day  dawned  hot  and  sultry,  and 
the  fish  refused,  as  on  the  preceding  day,  to 
bite  ;  and  we  determined  to  return  early,  tak- 
ing the  longer  road  byway  of  Magog,  through 
woods  where  little  brown  bears  have  been 
seen  this  very  summer.  What  an  inducement 
that  was !  How  "vve  longed  to  see  one,  though 
a  fish  gaff  was  our  only  weapon  of  defense  ! 

It  was  a  charming  return  drive,  through 
almost  wild  country,  with  only  now  and  then 
the  tiny  log-cabin,  the  little  patch  of  oats  or 
wheat,  the  great  forests  aglow  here  and  there 
with  maple -trees  that  looked  like  pillars  of 
flame,   the   fern-decked   highway,  the   alder 


MASS  A  WIPPI.  241 

bushes  half  hid  beneath  the  hoary  glory  of 
clematis,  the  carpet  of  bunch-berries,  and  the 
endless  seas  of  purple  and  white  asters. 

Once  we  caught  sight,  through  an  open 
door,  of  a  woman  in  a  snowy  apron  ''  working 
over "  butter,  and  for  ten  cents  rescued  a 
half-pound  before  its  sweet  taste  was  smoth- 
ered in  salt.  Once  we  passed  a  farndiouse 
where  fowls  abounded,  and  drove  on  with  a 
hatful  of  eggs.  Again,  we  heard  the  hum- 
ming of  bees,  and  a  box  of  delicious  honey 
was  added  to  our  treasures.  Next,  w^e  passed 
crab-apple-trees  bending  beneath  their  loads 
of  crimson  and  yellow  fruit ;  and,  at  a  word, 
a  beautiful  branch  was  placed  at  our  disposal. 

And  thus  we  journeyed  on,  enjoying  the 
beauty  and  sharing  the  fruits  of  this  interest- 
ing land.  For  the  last  ten  miles  the  road 
runs  on  a  high  blulf  that  overlooks  Mem[)hre- 
magog ;  and  the  views  are  simply  superb. 
But,  after  all,  there  was  nothing  in  our  whole 
trip  that  looked  to  us  so  beautiful  as  the 
sunny  bay  around  whose  curve  the  camp  tents 
were  gleaming  in  the  sun,  and  about  whose 
open  doors  the  little  ones  were  playing. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

OUR    LOG-CABIN. 

It  was  our  trij^  to  Massawippi  that  in- 
spired it.  Coming  back  from  that  beautiful 
lake,  through  long  stretches  of  Canadian  for- 
est, during  which  Hosanna  held  the  fish  gaff 
in  her  hand  prepared  for  a  demonstration 
from  any  obtrusive  bear,  we  noticed,  in  the 
intervals  when  our  solicitude  was  slightly  re- 
laxed, the  picturesque  rough-and-readiness  of 
Canadian  log-cabins.  Their  architecture  was 
distinguished  by  simplicity  and  strength. 
The  cabins  seemed  to  fit  naturally  into  their 
surroundings.  They  would  not  have  seemed 
ornamental  on  Commonwealth  Avenue ;  but 
here,  under  the  shade  of  the  trees  from  which 
they  were  reared,  their  rugged  squattiness 
blended  easily  with  the  architecture  of  the 
forest. 


OUR  LOG-CABIN.  2-43 

"  How  nice  it  would  bo,"  it  was  said,  "  to 
have  a  log-cabin  in  camp  !  "  The  suggestion 
was  ratified  by  all  in  the  wagon  ;  and,  for  a 
time,  Hosanna  forgot  about  the  anticipated 
bear  in  contemplating  the  security  of  a  house 
which  bears  could  not  invade. 

The  idea  was  planted  in  the  camp  brain, 
and  from  time  to  time  tenderly  watered ;  but 
it  took  two  years  for  it  to  grow  to  fruition. 
For  nine  years  the  Shaybacks  had  dwelt  be- 
neath duck  and  drilling.  The  log-cabin  was 
therefore  looked  upon  as  in  no  wise  a  neces- 
sity, but  simply  as  a  luxury.  It  was  in  cool 
weather  that  the  tempting  vision  rose  more 
frequently  before  our  eyes  with  pictures  of 
the  broad  open  fireplace,  the  crackling  flame, 
and  the  evening  mirth  within  its  walls,  defy- 
ing all  adversity  of  storm  and  temperature. 
What  more  beautiful  site  for  a  cabin  than 
that  offered  by  their  present  camp  !  They 
would  have  to  search  far  and  wide  for  a  bet- 
ter one.  Farmer  Bigelow  cordially  gave  his 
consent ;  and,  in  a  camp  council  held  this 
summer,  it  was  finally  decided  to  build  the 
cabin. 


244  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP, 

Achilles,  the  joiner,  insisted  that  it  would 
be  much  cheaper  and  better  to  build  a  frame 
shanty ;  but  the  Shaybacks  retorted  that  a 
frame  shanty  is  an  abomination.  A  log-cabin 
they  were  bound  to  have.  When  Achilles 
found  that  Ephraim  was  joined  to  his  idols, 
he  determined  to  let  him  alone  ;  but  he  pro- 
nounced no  curse  upon  the  enterprise,  and 
was  kind  enough  to  suggest  a  native  work- 
man who  was  equal  to  the  task. 

By  unanimous  consent,  the  site  chosen  for 
the  cabin  was  in  the  birch  and  cedar  grove 
between  our  dining-room  tent  and  the  lake. 
By  a  little  planning,  we  managed  to  save 
some  of  the  best  of  the  trees  around  the  pro- 
posed cabin.  In  the  heavy  growth  of  woods 
which  lies  between  the  camp  and  the  road,  it 
matters  little  where  one  falls.  But  in  the 
grove  which  skirts  the  lake  shore,  where  the 
birches  are  planted  in  the  rocks  beneath,  and 
the  cedars  join  their  shade  and  shelter,  every 
tree  is  precious.  The  ruthless  axe  of  the 
woodman  must  not  venture  here  until  a  court 
has    been   held  and    judgment    pronounced 


OUR  LOG-CABIN.  245 

against  the  life  of  any  offending  tree.  The 
loss  of  even  a  few  boughs  might  spoil  the 
union  of  branch  and  leaf  that  frames  the 
vista  to  the  lake. 

No  surveyor  was  needed  to  stake  off  the 
ground,  nor  was  any  architect  required.  It 
is  said  that,  when  the  present  meeting-house 
of  the  First  Parish,  Dorchester,  was  under- 
taken in  1816,  the  builder  took  a  shingle, 
and  drew  a  plan  resembling  that  of  the  Rox- 
bury  meeting-housG,  and  that  this  was  offi- 
cially accepted.  Of  the  truth  of  this  tradition 
I  know  not.  I  can  speak  with  more  positive- 
ness  of  the  plan  of  the  log-cabin,  which  was 
drawn  out  upon  a  small  piece  of  board  and 
submitted  to  Charlie  King.  The  dimensions 
decided  upon  were  twenty  by  fourteen  feet 
on  the  inside.  This  required  logs  twenty-two 
bv  sixteen  feet.  The  brush  was  soon  cleared, 
and  the  axe  was  put  to  the  root  of  a  twin 
cedar,  whose  stump  Mrs.  Sliayback  immedi- 
ately appropriated  for  a  rustic  seat.  The  pil- 
lars of  our  house  were  standing  in  a  grove 
just  beyond  the  beautiful  park  in  which  our 


246  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

tents  aro  set.  There  were  great  Doric  ce- 
dars, Ionic  hemlocks,  and  tall  and  elegant 
white  birches,  like  plain  Corinthian  columns, 
with  spreading  leafy  capitals.  For  a  log- 
house,  nothing  is  better  than  spruce,  which 
runs  pretty  even  in  diameter  for  many  feet. 
But  there  was  no  spruce  at  hand,  at  least  not 
in  sufficient  numbers  for  our  cabin  ;  but,  for 
durability,  nothing  could  be  better  than  the 
cedar  of  which  we  decided  to  build  it.  It 
was  lighter  to  handle  and  easily  worked.  The 
only  trouble  was  that,  while  the  butts  were 
iarge,  the  trees  did  not  hold  their  diameter, 
so  that  a  twenty-two  feet  log  was  much  smaller 
at  the  top  than  at  the  bottom.  But  this 
could  be  remedied  by  reversing  the  logs  in 
laying  them  up,  so  that  the  large  butt  of  one 
log  would  rest  on  the  small  end  of  another. 
Thirty-two  trees  were  chosen.  Blow  after 
blow  rang  through  the  forest ;  and  tree  after 
tree  fell,  crashing  into  the  heavy  underbrush 
below.  Then  the  limbs  were  cut  off,  and 
roads  were  cut  through  the  brush  to  draw 
them.     Farmer  Bigelow,  with  Gypsey  and  a 


OUR  LOG-CABIN.  247 

good  log-chain,  spent  the  most  of  a  day  in 
hauling  them  to  the  site  of  the  cabin. 

The  corner-stone  of  the  new  building  was 
laid  without  ceremony.  I  say  corner-stone. 
But  a  very  big  bowlder  would  have  been 
needed  under  the  southwestern  corner  of  our 
cabin,  to  make  the  foundation  as  level  as  it 
was  when  about  a  ton  of  stone  was  carried 
from  the  lake  shores  and  piled  up  into  a  solid 
pier.  Four  heavy  logs  were  chosen  for  the 
foundation.  The  logs  running  longitudinally 
were  laid  first.  A  notch  called  "  a  saddle  " 
was  cut  in  each  end.  The  cross-pieces  were 
then  laid  on,  with  notches  cut  to  fit  into  the 
logs  beneath  them.  Then  another  tier  of  logs 
was  laid  on  these  in  the  same  mannnr.  And 
so  the  cabin  proceeded,  growing  not  brick 
by  brick,  but  log  by  log  and  tier  by  tier.  It 
required  ten  logs  on  each  side,  or  forty  in  all, 
to  insure  a  wall  seven  feet  in  height ;  and  from 
this  the  roof  was  to  spring  sharply  to  a  peak. 
Some  of  the  logs  were  unpropitious,  but 
King's  incisive  axe  hewed  them  into  shape. 
The  rafters  were  cut  from  cedar  poles.    Beams 


248  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

were  laid  across  from  wall  to  wall  to  bind  the 
building  and  to  provide  for  a  loft  at  each  end 
of  the  cabin  five  feet  in  width,  leaving  a  space 
of  ten  feet  in  the  centre,  in  which  the  rustic 
rafters  were  exposed  to  view. 

The  builder  of  a  frame-house  generally 
puts  in  the  openings  for  windows  as  he  goes 
along.  The  windows  and  doors  of  a  log-cabin 
are  put  in  after  all  the  walls  are  up.  The 
places  for  windows  and  doors  are  then  marked. 
A  log  is  hewed  out  with  an  axe,  and  the  rest 
of  the  window  or  door  is  cut  with  a  cross-cut 
saw.  A  place  for  the  chimney  is  cut  in  the 
same  way.  The  Shay  backs  had  decided,  in 
lieu  of  windows  in  the  side  of  the  cabin,  to 
have  two  large  doors  at  p  :ch  end,  making  an 
opening  six  feet  in  width,  so  that  in  pleasant 
weather  the  doors  might  be  swung  back  and 
the  breezes  sweep  through  from  the  lake.  It 
was  also  a  part  of  their  plan,  yet  to  be  ful- 
filled, to  have  windows  in  the  doors  and  in 
the  gable  ends.  Boards  for  the  flooring  and 
the  roof  and  shingles  were  obtained  at  Fitch 
Bay,  six  miles  away.     Not  so  easy,  however, 


OUR  LOG-CABIN.  249 

was  it  to  ffet  all  the  material.     Not  one  of  the 


t5' 


three  stores  in  GeorG^eville  had  a  shino-le-nail. 
An  order  Avas  sent  to  Magog,  by  the  evening 
stage.  But  Mr.  Shay  back  rowed  to  George- 
ville  before  breakfast  the  next  morning  only 
to  find  that  no  shingle-nails  were  to  be  had  in 
Magog.  Taylor,  one  of  the  storekeepers, 
was  sure  that  the  twenty  pounds  needed 
might  be  borrowed  of  Rat  Packard,  who  was 
building  a  house  a  mile  and  a  half  away. 
The  pilgrimage  across  the  fields  for  this  pur- 
pose was  unsuccessful ;  and,  finally,  Mr.  Shay- 
back  determined,  as  there  were  no  shingle- 
nails  in  Canada,  to  send  to  the  United  States 
of  America  by  the  steamer  Lady  of  the  Lake. 
The  errand,  kindly  accepted  by  a  venerable 
friend,  Avas  promptly  executed ;  and  the 
shingle-nails  were  at  hand  in  the  afternoon, 
ready  for  use  the  next  morning. 

An  equal  difficulty  was  experienced  in  get- 
tinir  lime  for  our  mortar.  An  order  was  sent 
to  Mao•o^•  by  the  Mountain  Maid.  But  there 
was  no  lime  in  Magog.  We  then  essayed  to 
telegraph  to  Newport,  but  the  telegraph  did 


250  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

not  work.  Finally,  after  two  clays'  delay,  it 
was  learned  that  lime  could  bo  obtained  in  a 
kiln  across  the  lake,  two  miles  from  the  water. 
A  skiff  and  two  men  were  sent  for  it,  but  an 
ox-team  had  to  be  hired  on  the  other  side  to 
draw  the  three  barrels  necessary.  Lime  is 
not  the  only  thing  to  which  the  word  slacJc  is 
applicable  in  this  region.  It  is  this  modera- 
tion in  movement  and  freedom  from  excite- 
ment which  makes  the  vicinage  of  this  lake  a 
desirable  soothing  place  for  inflammable  and 
restive  people. 

As  good  brick  could  be  found  on  the  site 
of  our  old  camp  at  Merriman's,  less  than  a 
mile  away,  and  also  excellent  sand  for  our 
mortar,  all  the  men  and  the  boys  in  camp 
made  a  voyage  with  Joe  Hughes  and  his 
barge  to  the  brick  kiln  ;  and  while  Burbank 
loaded  the  sand,  the  others  selected  the  eight 
hundred  brick  which  the  estimate  required. 
The  miscalculation  in  brick  was  afterwards 
repaired  by  a  voyage  in  two  of  the  skiffs,  in 
which  Mrs.  Ganzbach  and  Mrs.  Shayback 
liandled  two  hundred  more  brick  with  indus- 


OUR  LOG-CABIN.  251 

try,  if  not  with  professional  facility.  There 
was  at  first  some  dispute  among  the  natives 
as  to  what  knowledge  of  the  bricklayer's  art 
would  suffice  to  build  a  fireplace  and  a  chim- 
ney. But  all  agreed  that  Vaughn  across  the 
lake  could  make  the  best  job,  notwithstand- 
ing the  timidity  he  had  about  crossing  the 
lake  in  a  small  boat.  He  proved  to  be  a 
"  workman  that  needed  not  to  be  ashamed." 

To  the  uninitiated,  it  was  not  clear  what 
was  to  be  done  with  the  great  yawning  cracks, 
sometimes  two  inches  in  width,  which  lay  be- 
tween the  tiers  of  logs.  But  to  King,  who 
had  laid  up  many  a  log-house,  this  presented 
no  difficulty.  Strips  of  wood  and  branches 
of  trees  were  nailed  into  the  crevices,  and 
then  the  chinks  between  the  logs  were  plas- 
tered inside  and  out  with  mortar.  A  log- 
cabin  treated  in  this  way  is  one  of  the  warm- 
est of  houses.  Sometimes,  moss  and  clay  are 
used  for  pointing  between  the  chinks,  wdiere 
lime  and  sand  cannot  be  had. 

During  the  ten  days  in  which  it  was  going 
up,  every  step  in  its  evolution  was  watched 


252  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

by  the  campers  with  as  much  interest  as  Silas 
Lapham  watched  his  house  on  the  water-side 
of  Beacon  Street ;  and  every  one  of  the  camp- 
ers, large  and  small,  without  distinction  of 
sex,  had  something  to  do  with  rearing  it. 
Mr.  Ganzbach  and  Mr.  Shayback  helped  to 
hew  off  the  limbs,  to  carry  the  trees,  and  un- 
der King's  direction  to  "  lay  them  up."  It 
was  Mr.  Shayback's  further  mission  to  secure 
material  and  labor,  and,  with  Dio's  help,  to 
dig  the  foundation  for  the  chimney.  It  was 
a  matter  of  pride  to  Mrs.  Shayback  and  Frank 
that  they  shingled  about  half  of  the  roof. 

"  It  tickled  me,"  said  King,  "  to  see  a  wo- 
man do  that.  She  beat  my  father-in-law,  and 
I  plagued  him  a  good  deal  about  it  when  we 
got  home." 

The  locker  in  the  corner  was  Calvin's  spe- 
cial work.  He  also  laid  much  of  the  floor, 
and  chinked  the  logs,  and  put  on  the  locks. 
The  children  handled  the  brick  and  ran  on 
errands.  Even  our  guests  took  hold.  Cousin 
Alfred  was  used  to  the  saw  and  hammer ;  and 
it  was  he  who  ran  to  the  blacksmith's  at  the 


OUR  LOG-CABIN.  253 

right  time,  and  got  him  to  forge  the  eyes  for 
the  hanging  of  the  crane ;  nor  will  our  min- 
isterial guest  from  Boston  he  likely  to  forget 
the  weight  of  those  enormous  heaitlistones 
which  we  carried  on  a  harrow  from  the  lake 
to  the  cahin.  But  King,  our  French  Cana- 
dian, who  was  the  huilder-in-chief,  bears  ofF 
the  palm  for  industry  and  skill.  His  fame 
as  a  hewer,  developed  in  more  than  one 
ship-yard  in  the  United  States,  extends  far 
and  wide.  As  an  expert  wdtli  the  hroad- 
axe,  we  would  match  him  against  any  man  in 
Canada.  It  was  a  wonder  and  a  delioht  to 
see  the  precision  with  which  the  broad-axe,  in 
hewing  along  a  line,  would  strike  in  the  same 
place  every  time,  and  leave  the  log  almost  as 
smooth  as  if  it  had  been  planed. 

It  was  not  until  Saturday  evening,  three 
days  before  the  day  set  to  break  camp,  that 
the  cabin  w^as  sufficiently  completed  to  be  hab- 
itable. For  three  delightfid  Sundays  the 
Shaybacks  had  held  religious  services  in  their 
grove  temple.  Here,  in  the  open  aisles  of 
this  leafy  bower,  the  campers  gathered,  sup- 


254  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

plemeiited  l)y  ;i  few  friends  from  the  village, 
constitutin"'  w  r(^";ular  audience  oF  about 
twenty.  The  Gothic  cathedral  is  said  to  be 
an  imitation  of  a  grove,  with  its  lines  i)oint- 
ing  skyward.  But  nature  has  not  been 
dwarfed  by  the  imitation.  No  structure 
reared  by  human  hands  seemed  more  beautiful 
than  this  God-wrought  temple  in  which  the 
camp  was  gathered.  Not  the  cedars  of  Leb- 
anon were  more  reverent  or  beautiful  than 
these  which  rose  in  stately  solemnity,  while  the 
white  birches  mingled  their  quivering  branches 
with  the  evergreen  in  the  fretted  groining  of 
the  roof.  If  there  were  no  galleries  in  this 
grove  temple,  the  campers  easily  made  them 
by  swinging  six  or  eight  of  their  hammocks 
between  the  pillars.  Perhaps  if  hammocks 
were  permitted  to  be  swung  between  the  col- 
umns of  our  city  churches,  church-going 
would  be  more  popular  in  drowsy  weather. 

But  the  last  Sunday  in  camp  was  not  pro- 
pitious for  out-of-door  worship.  It  was  then 
that  the  log-cabin  became  our  meeting-house. 
The  altar  fire  was  lighted  on  the  hearth  j  and, 


OUR  LOG-CABIN.  255 

while  we  "mused,  tlie  fire  burned/'  The 
dedicatory  sermon  was  preached  by  the  pas- 
tor of  the  oklest  religious  society  in  Boston,* 
albeit  the  dedication  which  it  implied  was 
rather  that  of  the  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
than  of  this  little  log-cabin.  When  the  Pu- 
ritan settlers  landed  in  New  England,  they 
first  worshiped  in  the  grove,  and  then  in  their 
rude  little  meeting-house.  So  it  was  fitting 
that  the  voice  of  thanksgiving,  praise,  and 
prayer  should  be  the  first  consecration  of  our 
Canadian  cabin. 

The  campers  determined  to  have  a  house- 
warming,  or  shall  I  call  it  a  house-freezing, 
when  ice-cream  and  the  fire  on  the  hearth 
contended  for  the  supremacy.  Mr.  Shayback 
trolled  all  day,  in  the  vain  endeavor  to  induce 
a  large  lake  trout  to  attend  the  even  nig  cere- 
monies. But  other  invitations  issued,  with  a 
much  smaller  spoon  for  bait,  were  more  po- 
litely honored  by  our  friends  in  the  village. 
A  large  back-log  sawed  by  two  of  the  ladies 
with  a  cross-cut  saw  was  put  in  the  fireplace, 

1  First  Parish,  Dorchester,  Rev.  C.  11.  Eliot,  pastor. 


256  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

and  the  pile  made  ready  to  light.  A  heavy 
frieze  of  golden-rod  was  hung  all  around  the 
cabin.  A  braneh  of  scarlet-tinted  maple 
leaves  found  in  the  woods  seemed  to  have 
ripened  especially  for  the  occasion.  Three 
large,  brilliant  kerosene  lamps  were  hung 
from  the  rafters,  supplemented  by  candles  and 
Chinese  lanterns.  Such  afghans  and  cushions 
as  the  camp  possessed  were  spread  on  boxes 
and  benches  to  give  color  as  well  as  ease  to 
the  scene.  It  was  just  at  dusk  when  the 
sound  of  merry  voices  was  heard  on  the  wa- 
ter ;  three  bout-loads  from  the  village  brought 
the  doctor,  his  daughter,  and  a  friend.  Mon- 
treal, Boston,  and  New  York,  as  well  as 
Georgeville,  were  represented  by  the  guests 
present.  Guests  and  campers  numbered  twen- 
ty-seven in  all.  It  was  deemed  appropriate 
that  the  fire  should  be  lighted  by  the  oldest 
and  the  youngest  member  present,  there  being 
just  seventy  years  between  their  ages.  As  a 
Canadian  King  had  built  the  cabin  it  was  fit- 
ting that  a  Boston  Prince  should  preside  at 
the  house-warming.     Then  little  Arthur  for- 


OUR  LOG-CABIN.  257 

mally  delivered  the  key  to  Mr.  Shaybaek,  who 
received  it  with  the  same  imite  eloquence  witli 
which  it  was  conveyed.     The  huge  caldron  of 
chocolate  which  tho  camp  ladies  prepared  was 
distributed  with  oaten  flakes,  the  nearest  ap- 
proach to  a  delicacy  left  in  the  canq)  larder. 
Mrs.   Packard's   generous   gift    of    ice-cream 
from  the  village  was  gratefully  accepted,  and 
imparted  a  genial  chill  to  the  occasion.     The 
social  festivity  was  concluded  by  all  joining 
in  singing  "  Auld  Lang  Syne."     But  it  was 
long  after  the  guests  had  departed  before  the 
fire   on   the   hearth  was  quenched   and   the 
Shaybacks  retired  to  their  fragrant  couches 
for  the  last  night  in  camp. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

MR.    SHAYBACK    AT    MUSTER. 

The  Lest  way  to  go  to  war  is  to  do  so  in 
time  of  peace.  You  are  then  free  from  many 
inconveniences.  You  avoid  long  and  distress- 
ing marches.  You  are  seldom  absent  from 
your  home  for  any  great  length  of  time. 
Your  diet  is  more  equable.  Your  uniform, 
hanging  on  a  hook  in  the  clothes-press  three 
fourths  of  the  time,  is  in  much  less  danger  of 
being  soiled  than  if  exposed  to  the  dust,  rain, 
or  blood-stains  of  active  service.  If  moth- 
holes  are  less  honorable  than  bullet-holes, 
there  is  this  to  be  said  in  their  favor :  they 
pierce  the  uniform  when  the  wearer  is  not 
inside  of  it.  The  needed  ventilation  for  the 
militia  man's  attire  is  obtained  in  the  expos- 
ure of  armory  drill  or  dress  parade  rather 
than  in  more  disastrous  exposure  to  an  eue- 


MR.   SHAY  BACK  AT  MUSTER.  259 

my's  fire.  If  the  militia  man  beloiii^  to  the 
cavah'y,  or  i£  as  an  officer  he  is  entitled  to 
ride,  he  may  civilly  tnrn  hi'^^  military  horse  to 
advantage  in  many  directions.  He  may  drive 
him  to  a  trnck,  put  him  on  a  milk  route, 
hitch  him  in  a  doctor's  gig,  or  use  him  for 
family  purposes,  till  the  trumpet  sounds  the 
"assembly,"  Avhen  this  same  steed,  bridled 
and  caparisoned,  like  the  battle-horse  of  Job, 
"  goetli  on  to  meet  the  armed  men  ;  his  neck 
is  clothed  with  thunder ;  the  glory  of  his 
nostrils  is  terrible.  He  mocketh  at  fear,  and 
is  not  affrighted ;  neither  turneth  he  back 
from  the  sword." 

Such  were  the  thoughts  which  revolved  in 
Mr.  Shayback's  mind,  when  he  was  invited 
to  accept  a  position  as  chaplain  in  the  Massa- 
chus,  ts  Volunteer  Militia.  It  seemed  to  him 
that  the  time  was  then  exceedingly  propitious 
for  serving  his  country.  Having  offered  \yi" 
services  some  twenty  years  before  to  the 
United  States  Navy,  under  circumstances  of 
health  which  forbade  the  oovorinnent  from 
accepting  them,   Mr.    Shayback's   pride   was 


260  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

restored  to  its  full  height  hy  this  overture 
from  the  State  of  Massachusetts,  communi- 
cated to  him  through  one  of  its  ablest  and 
most  gracious  colonels. 

^^  Framingham,  fair  cup-bearer,  leaf -cinct- 
ured Hebe  of  the  deep-bosomed  queen  sitting 
by  the  seaside  on  the  throne  of  the  six.  na- 
tions." So  wrote  Dr.  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes, 
when,  on  returning  from  his  "  Hunt  after  the 
^  Captain ' "  during  the  war,  he  passed  through 
Framingham,  Mass.,  with  his  wounded  son 
on  the  train.  If  Dr.  Holmes  had  visited 
Framingham  during  the  w^eek  w^e  are  about 
to  describe,  he  would  have  found  leaf-cinct- 
ured Hebe  engaged  in  a  different  but  still 
highly  classical  operation,  that  of  putting  in 
running  order  the  special  w\ar  chariots  of  the 
Boston  and  Albany  Railroad. 

"  Bright  Hebe  waits  ;  by  Hebe,  ever  young, 
The  whirling  wheels  are  to  the  chariot  hung. 
On  the  bright  axle  turns  the  bitklen  wheel 
Of  sounding  brass  ;  the  polished  axle  steel." 

Homer  did  not  know  that  car  wheels  are 
made  of  paper. 


MR.   SHAY  BACK  AT  MUSTER.  2G1 

"  Athena  hath  laid  aside  her  woven  vesture, 
and  arrayed  her  in  armor  for  dolorous  battle." 
Upon  her  head,  she  has  set  her  crested  golden 
'  almet,  and  gone  forth  into  the  camp  of  the 
Greeks  at  Framingham.  Under  a  similar  in- 
spiration, awakened  by  a  general  order  from 
the  commanding  officer,  Mr.  Shayback  put  on 
his  warlike  garb  and  prepared  to  go  to  the 
same  place. 

Massachusetts  is  fortunate  in  a  good  many 
things,  and  she  is  fortunate  in  having  a  fine 
ground  on  which  the  troops  of  the  State  may 
assemble  for  their  yearly  exercise.  It  is  a 
level,  unbroken  plain  of  large  extent,  fenced 
in,  provided  with  an  arsenal,  and  with  perma- 
nent quarters  for  the  general  commanding 
the  brigade  and  his  staff.  It  is  without 
beauty  of  scenery,  unless  we  take  the  word 
scene  in  its  original  Greek  sense,  meaning  a 
tent,  a  camp.  In  that  sense,  no  place  in  the 
State  has  so  nuich  scenery  during  two  weeks 
of  the  year  as  Framingham.  The  tents  for 
fifteen  hundred  men  cover  a  broad  strip  of 
this  field,  running  its  whole  extent.     They 


262  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

are  Laid  out  with  military  precision,  and  form 
a  pleasing  picture  to  the  eye,  especially  if 
one  sees  them  from  the  north  side,  where 
the  untesthetic  kitchens  are  hidden  from  view. 
If  now  "the  fair  cup-bearer"  had  oniy  poured 
a  river  into  this  valley,  we  should  have  here 
a  perfect  camp  ground  for  military  purposes. 
The  drinking  water  now  obtained  from  wells 
may  eventually  be  had  from  a  small  pond 
lying  outside  the  grounds  and  not  affected  by 
its  drainage;  but  no  military  camp  is  com- 
plete without  a  place  for  the  soldiers  to  bathe. 
Pursuant  to  order,  Mr.  Shayback  assembled 
himself  at  the  headquarters  of  his  regiment 
in  Pemberton  Square,  Boston.  The  field 
and  staff  were  present  in  full  force,  and  one 
by  one  the  eight  companies  reported  for  duty. 
Some  were  rather  slim  in  numbers,  the  inter- 
ests of  employers  sometimes  conflicting  with 
the  interests  of  the  State.  The  larjxe  com- 
panics  of  war  times,  when  a  hundred  men 
marched  under  command  of  one  captain,  no 
longer  exist.  The  plethoric  drum  was  there, 
and  the  sonorous  instruments  of  the  band, 


MR.   SHAY  BACK  AT  MUSTER.  263 

waiting'  for  that  intelllgont  inspiration  Avhicli 
should  convert  them  all  into  soimdino*  brass 
and  tinkling  cymbal.  The  rattling"  drum 
corps,  with  the  compact  and  facile  drum-major 
and  his  mai>;ic  staff,  were  there  too.  The 
word  of  command  was  given  by  the  colonel, 
the  drums  pulsed  with  rhythmic  beats,  the 
brass  lungs  vented  their  brazen  music,  and 
the  whole  regiment  moved  off  in  equal  step, 
as  if  animated  throughout  by  a  single  will. 

The  regiment  reached  the  depot,  and  was 
on  the  train  two  minutes  ahead  of  the  time 
required  !  Railroads  perform  tliis  good  ser- 
vice for  the  community :  they  keep  up  the 
ideal  and  the  necessity  of  promptness.  And 
Colonel  Bancroft  showed  how  promptness 
could  be  organized  into  a  military  virtue. 
Mr.  Shayback  would  fain  inquire  here  how  it 
is  that  a  thousand  people  can  gather  together 
at  a  railroad  depot  two  or  three  minutes  be- 
fore the  train  starts ;  but,  if  the  same  number 
of  people  were  expecting  to  go  to  church, 
about  one  third  of  them  would  come  in  after 
the  service  had  begun. 


264  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

Arriving  at  South  Framingliam,  the  field 
and  staff  mounted  their  horses,  and  the  resri- 
ment  triumphantly  marched  to  the  camp 
ground.  A  gracious  shower  the  previous 
night  had  laid  the  dust.  The  pathway  was 
one  of  pleasantness  and  peace. 

Halting  his  men  on  the  camp  ground,  the 
colonel  made  them  a  brief  speech  before  dis- 
missing them  to  their  quarters,  exhorting 
them  to  remember  that  thev  came  for  two 
things:  first,  to  do  their  duty;  and,  secondly, 
to  have  a  good  time.  Then,  the  work  of  the 
week  began.  A  busy  week  it  was  too.  A 
detail  of  soldiers  sent  up  on  the  previous  day 
had,  under  the  direction  of  the  resrimental 
quartermasters  and  the  brigade  engineer, 
pitched  all  the  tents.  The  canvas  city  was 
soon  occupied,  and  the  effects  of  men  and 
officers  neatly  arranged  within  them.  Each 
of  the  officers  rejoiced  in  two  wall  tents  nine 
by  eleven,  placed  end  to  end,  the  front  one 
serving  as  a  sitting-room ^  the  second  as  a  bed- 
room. The  men  divided  up  into  squads  were 
also  quartered  in  v/all  tents.    No  A  or  shelter 


MR.   SHAY  BACK  AT  MUSTER.  2G5 

tents  were  used.  Let  them  be  reserved  for 
the  horrors  of  war.  The  State  wisely  deter- 
mines to  make  its  men  as  comfortable  as  pos- 
sible durinj^  their  stay  in  camp.  The  tents 
are  provided  with  board  floors^  and  the 
ground  is  so  even  that  they  require  little  lev- 
eling. 

In  strange  contrast  to  these  felicitous  in- 
teriors with  their  wooden  floors,  cots,  wash- 
stands,  tables,  and  curtained  wardrobes,  Mr. 
Shayback  recalled  the  many  times  he  had 
pitched  his  tent  on  a  cactus  bed  and  cast  his 
buffalo  skin  on  the  side  he  had  cleared  from 
its  dominion,  always  being  careful,  however, 
to  keep  the  uprooted  spines  out  of  his  blan- 
kets. He  does  not  forget  how  his  active 
imagination  converted  one  of  these  spines 
into  a  rattlesnake  which  bit  him  one  nijjht  in 
the  foot,  and  caused  him  to  bound  from  his 
bed  without  waiting  for  the  reveille.  Nor 
does  he  forget  that  night  when  they  camped 
on  a  bed  of  glacial  drift  in  Western  Dakota, 
where  there  were  not  only  enough  stones  to 
furnish  a  pillow  like  that  of  Jacob's,  but  also 


266  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

enough  to  f  iirnisli  ji  Avliolo  uuittress.  Such  a 
mattress  is  not  so  elastic  as  one  made  of 
springs  or  spruce  boughs. 

The  Massachusetts  militia  is  nearly  ecpially 
divided  into  two  brio'ades.  Instead  of  re"-i- 
mental  encampments  as  in  New  York^  a  whole 
brigade  camps  together ;  the  first  brigade  in 
June  and  the  second  in  July.  When  fully 
occupied  by  three  regiments  of  infantry,  a 
battalion  of  cavalry,  and  a  battalion  of  artil- 
lery,  the  camp  at  Framingham  presents  a  de- 
cidedly militar}?  aspect.  The  sound  of  bugle 
and  drums,  the  pacing  of  the  sentinels,  the 
evolutions  of  companies  and  regiments  on  the 
field,  the  galloping  of  horses,  the  music  of 
the  bands,  the  crack  of  the  rifle  at  the  shoot- 
ing range,  and  the  reverberations  of  the  morn- 
ing and  evening  gun,  all  furnish  the  spectator 
or  participant  with  the  most  warlike  associa- 
tions. But  to  Mr.  Shayback  there  was  one 
thing  lacking  to  the  perfect  military  asp  jct  of 
the  camp.  It  was  the  absence  of  the  army 
wagon  and  the  army  mnle.  Having  formed 
an  intimate  acquaintance  with  that  element  of 


MR.  SIIAYBACK  AT  MUSTER.  2G7 

discord,  impiety,  and  utility,  Mr.  Sliayback 
could  not  overlook  his  absence  from  a  mili- 
tary camp.  But  he  wore  no  mourning  on  his 
arm  or  in  his  heart.  Had  the  army  mule 
abounded  at  this  camp,  his  duties  as  chaplain 
would  have  been  greatly  increased ;  and  he 
would  have  been  far  less  iitted  to  exercise 
them.  Every  mule  team  needs  two  chaplains, 
one  to  look  after  the  reliiiious  education  of 
the  teamster  and  the  other  to  sap})ress  tlie 
irreligion  of  the  mules.  Were  this  idea  car- 
ried out,  a  place  might  be  found  for  all  the 
unsettled  ministers  of  Massachusetts.  But, 
whatever  moral  force  might  be  summoned 
against  him,  we  are  sure  the  nude  would  be 
triumphant  in  the  long  run.  An  animal  who 
carries  his  sense  of  humor,  his  sense  of  jus- 
tice, and  his  capacity  for  argument  all  in  his 
heels,  cannot  always  be  reached  by  a})peals  to 
his  head  and  heart.  The  teamster  follows 
another  course,  and  addresses  his  ears  and 
his  hide.  Will  some  competent  moralist  in- 
form us  whether  it  is  the  teamster  that  first 
corrupts  the  mule  or  the  mule  that  first  cor- 
rupts the  teamster  ? 


208  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN   CAMP. 

If  the  Adjutant-General  liad  drawn  a  req- 
uisition on  the  Signal  Serviee  Bureau  for  ex- 
cellent weather,  the  order  eould  not  have  heen 
better  fuHilled.  Tuesday,  the  air  was  erisp 
and  cool,  a  steady  breeze  l)leAV  through  the 
camp.  A  fine  shower  on  Wednesday  night 
laid  the  dust  and  cleansed  the  air.  A  mis- 
chievous gale  of  wind  blew  down  the  mess- 
tent  of  the  band.  It  would  have  been  of 
more  serviee,  if  it  had  inflated  their  instru- 
ments. It  is  a  constant  marvel  to  Mr.  Shay- 
baek  how  a  band  can  blow  a  whole  week 
Avith  pneumatic  constancy  without  exhausting 
themselves  and  exhausting  the  atmosphere. 
Friday  morning,  the  spirits  of  the  men  were 
dampened  by  the  rain  that  gently  pattered 
on  their  tents ;  but  it  was  simply  Pluvius 
kindly  driving  a  watering-cart  above.  The 
sun  came  out  fiercely  before  noon,  and  helped 
to  bake  necks  and  faces  to  a  healthy  brown. 
The  interest  which  the  boys  felt  in  camp  is 
shown  in  the  way  they  turned  out.  The  reg- 
imental commanders  were  correspondingly 
gratified,  and  General   Peach's  countenance 


MR.   SHAY  HACK  AT  MrSTIJR.  2G9 

bloomed  with  j^-ciicral  satisfaction.  A  less 
degree  of  satisfaction  would  not  accord  with 
his  rank. 

Each  day  was  packed  as  full  of  military 
exercises  as  it  could  hold,  and  the  uumi  liHcd 
in  the  chinks  of  time  by  playing  ba.se  baJl. 
Colonel  Pennington,  of  the  regular  army, 
whose  red  plume  is  yearly  welcouu'd  at  the  en- 
cam[)ment,  m;dves  a  report  to  the  government, 
which  his  well-trained  ey(^,  acute  observation, 
and  ample  experience  can  well  furnish.  I 
may  say,  however,  that,  viewed  from  a  chap- 
lain's standpoint,  the  moral  condition  of  the 
camp  was,  on  the  whole,  very  gratifying.  I 
do  not  mean  that  a  military  camp-meeting  is 
precisely  like  a  religious  one.  The  sources  of 
refreshment  are  apt  to  be  entirely  dilferent. 
In  any  camp  of  eighteen  hundred  men  there 
are  always  some  who  do  not  know  how  to 
have  a  cfood  time.  Excess  is  sure  to  defeat 
enjoyment.  I  am  persuaded  that,  if  more 
men  came  to  get  a  })rescription  fi'om  the 
chaplain,  fewer  would  need  to  get  a  })rescrip- 
tion   from   the   surgeon.     The    spirit   which 


270  THE  SHAYBACKS  IiY  CAMP. 

needs  to  be  exorcised  from  a  military  camp  is 
the  demon  of  the  demijohn.  It  is  gratifyini^ 
to  note,  however,  the  general  good  order 
which  prevailed  bot'i  day  and  night.  Tlic 
chaplain's  duties  were  therefore  extremely 
light.  Father  Lee,  the  chaplain  of  the  Ninth, 
established  a  tax  on  profanity  in  his  regiment. 
The  small  amount  of  revenue  derived  from  it 
indicates  the  self-restraint  Avhich  the  presence 
of  the  chaplain  evoked.  How  much  profan- 
ity occurred  out  of  his  hearing,  it  would  not 
be  courtesy  to  reckon.  Troopers  are  supposed 
to  be  more  addicted  to  this  vice  than  foot 
soldiers.  Perhaps  the  best  test  of  such  an 
experiment  would  be  to  try  it  in  the  cav- 
alry. 

It  is  one  of  the  felicities  of  military  life 
that  you  do  not  have  to  map  out  your  time. 
Your  time  is  mapped  out  for  you.  The  bu- 
gle and  the  drum  deal  it  out  in  installments. 
Reveille  sounded  at  5.45  a.  m.  ;  surgeon's  call 
at  G.15,  when  the  sick  and  wounded  gathered 
around  the  doctor's  tent ;  breakfast  at  G.45  ; 
adjutant's   call  (guard   mounting)   at   8.30; 


MR.  SHAYBACK  AT  MUSTER.  271 

drill,  9.30 ;  recall,  11.30 ;  orderly  hours, 
12.00  M. ;  dinner,  12.30  r.  m.  ;  drill,  3.00 ; 
recall,  4.30 ;  dress  parade  and  retreat,  5.30 ; 
inspection  and  muster,  immediately  aftc'r  dress 
parade;  supper,  G.45 ;  tattoo,  10.30;  taps, 
11.00.  The  amount  of  work  exacted  from 
the  soldier  in  drills  and  <^uard  duty  is  consid- 
erable ;  but  it  is  the  opinion  of  Mr.  Shay  back 
that  no  soldiers  worked  quite  so  hard  during' 
the  camp  as  the  colonel  and  his  adjutant. 

The  rations  at  camp,  dispensed  as  they  are 
by  hired  caterers,  are  somewhat  more  varied 
and  liberal  than  they  are  in  the  regular  army. 
There  are  civilians  who  wonder,  when  the  sol- 
diers march  back  to  their  homes,  how  they 
can  look  so  well  after  living:  a  whole  week 
on  hard-tack  and  bacon. 

The  chaplain  and  the  rest  of  the  regi- 
"  mental  staff  are  excused  from  all  drills  but 
reviews,  dress  parados,  and  inspections.  At 
inspections,  the  clKH)lain  follows  around  be- 
tween the  ranks  on  the  tall  end  of  the  staff, 
like  a  snapper  on  the  end  of  a  whip,  and 
examines  with  great  solemnity  the  uniforms 


272  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP, 

of  the  men  to  see  that  the  brasses  are  bright- 
ened, that  the  coats  are  well  buttoned,  and 
the  belts  put  on  sufficiently  tight  to  endanger 
the  digestion  of  the  wearer.  As  eight  officers 
precede  the  chaplain  in  this  inspection,  there 
is  very  little  left  for  him  to  say.  It  becomes 
with  him  mainly  a  study  of  physiognomy.  He 
endeavors  to  probe  the  heart  which  lies  be- 
neath the  coat.  While  the  rest  of  the  field 
and  staff  are  measuring  the  man's  body,  the 
chaplain  is  trying  to  inspect  his  soul.  Not 
all  men  wear  their  hearts  on  their  sleeves. 
The  task  of  the  religious  inspector  is  there- 
fore more  difficult  than  the  superficial  work 
of  his  associates. 

The  position  of  a  chaplain  on  a  regimental 
staff  is  one  of  peculiar  responsibility  in  all 
military  evolutions.  His  position  is  on  the 
extreme  left.  This  responsibility  he  shares 
with  the  surgeon,  whose  position  is  on  the 
extreme  right.  The  other  staff  officers  are 
sandwiched  between  them.  It  is  not  easy  to 
describe  military  evolutions  to  men  and  wo- 
men of  purely  domestic  tastes.     Imagine  a 


MR.  SHAY  BACK  AT  MUSTER.         273 

row  of  five  muffins  in  a  bake-pan.  The  sur- 
geon would  represent  the  muffin  on  the  right 
end  and  the  ehaphiin  the  muffin  on  the  left. 
The  rest  of  the  "dough  boys"  —  the  quarter- 
master, assistant  surgeon,  and  paymaster  — 
fill  in  between.  The  term  "  muffin  "  is  chosen 
entirely  at  random,  and  has  only  a  metaiihoric 
significance.  The  term  "  dough  boy  "  is  an 
army  name  for  an  infantry  man.  The  sur- 
geon may  be  supposed  to  symbolize  the  body 
of  the  regiment  and  the  chaplain  to  symbolize 
its  soul.  In  all  evolutions,  it  is  necessary  to 
wheel  on  either  the  soul  or  the  body.  Some- 
times the  chaplain  occupies  the  humble  office 
of  pivot,  while  the  surgeon  describes  an  arc. 
Sometimes,  the  surgeon  is  the  pivot  and  the 
chaplain  the  describer.  All  that  is  necessary 
for  the  rest  of  the  staff  is  to  remain  between 
these  layers  like  the  inside  of  a  well-ordered 
pie  which  refuses  to  ooze  out  of  the  crust. 

In  some  regiments,  the  drill  of  the  staff  is 
greatly  neglected.  There  is  no  sight  more 
pathetic  to  a  military  man  than  a  staff  which 
is  completely  demoralized  from  a  failure  to 


274  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

recognize  the  proper  ubiquities  of  its  position. 
The  private  soldier  in  the  ranks  sacrifices  his 
individuality  on  drill ;  it  is  the  privilege  of 
staff  officers  to  retain  theirs,  with  all  the 
disastrous  consequences  this  may  involve. 
When  the  call  sounds  for  dress  parade,  the 
staff  are  always  ready.  They  have  succeeded 
in  adjusting  their  helmet  cords  under  their 
right  arms,  have  given  their  plumes  to  the 
breeze,  mounted  their  restive  steeds,  and  are 
ready  for  the  glory  which  awaits  them.  An- 
other bugle  note  from  headquarters  trembles 
on  the  air.  The  various  companies  from  the 
regiments  march  out  in  quick  time ;  and, 
amid  the  shouting  of  their  captains,  the  colo- 
nel, and  the  adjutant,  form  a  double  line  in 
front  of  the  company  streets.  The  staff, 
with  bridles  in  one  hand  and  swords  firmly 
clinched  in  the  other,  await  future  action  at 
a  distance  of  thirty-three  yards  in  the  rear. 
In  time  of  Avar,  such  a  position  has  its  advan- 
tages. As  the  chaplain  has  no  sword  to 
clinch  and  his  only  weapon  is  a  lead  pencil 
concealed    in    his    vest    pocket,    he    either 


MR.    SHAY  BACK  AT  MUSTER.  275 

clinches  his  right  fist  on  the  bri(Ue,  or  drops 
liis  hand  graeelessly  by  his  side.  It  is  about 
this  time  that  the  embarrassment  of  the  staff 
begins. 

"What  do  we  do  next?"  says  one  who  is 
servinjj  his  first  tour  of  dutv. 

"Well,"  replies  the  surgeon,  "we  go  up  at 
the  command  of  *  Rear,  Open  Order.'  " 

"  No,"  replies  the  quartermaster,  "  wait  for 
the  order,  *  Field  and  Staff  to  the  Front.'  " 

The  quartermaster  insists  that  he  is  right, 
the  surjjeon  insists  that  he  is  wron"-. 

The  paymaster  confesses  tliat  he  crammed 
on  the  subject  before  leaving  liis  tent.  All 
make  the  same  confession.  None  are  able  to 
agree  as  to  what  the  book  says. 

"  I  tell  you,"  says  one,  "  it  is  ^  Rear,  Open 
Order.' " 

"I  will  bet  you  a  hat,"  says  another,  "that 
it  is  *  Field  and  Staif  to  the  Front.'  " 

The  chaplain  suggests  that  it  would  be  a 
good  plan  to  leave  the  question  to  their 
horses.  Tliey  would  probably  know  what  to 
do  better  than  their  riders.    Indeed,  Professor 


276  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

Bartholomew's  educated  horses  seem  to  go 
througli  the  most  intricate  evolutions  without 
riders  at  all,  and  perhaps  with  less  embarrass- 
ment than  it'  they  had  them. 

Meantime,  the    colonel,  in    his   stentorian 
voice,  shouts  out,  "  Bear,  Open  Order.'" 
"  I  told  you  so,"  says  the  surgeon. 
^' March!''  cries  the  colonel. 
The  staff,  as  if  animated  by  a  sudden  in- 
spiration, put  spurs  to  their  hoi'ses,  and  race 
off   for    their  positions   on   the   right    flank, 
on  the  line  of  the   company   officers.      The 
movement  may  lack  dignity,  but  it  has  the 
virtue    of    promptness.       The   alignment    is 
somewhat  unsteady. 

"  Well,  we  got  up  here,"  says  one. 
"Yes,"    says  another;   "and  I  think,    all 
things  considered,  we  did  pretty  well." 

The  chaplain  asks  the  assistant  surgeon 
and  quartermaster  to  dress  up  on  the  sur- 
geon. The  paymaster  reminds  the  chaplain 
that  he  should  be  about  six  yards  from  the 
line  of  company  officers.  The  regimental 
adjutant,  who  is  slightly  in  the  rear  of  the 


MR.  SHAY  BACK  AT  MUSTER.         211 

staff,  cautions  them  to  have  their  swords 
ready  for  the^^resc;?^.  He  observes  that  one 
of  the  staff  has  forgotten  to  draw  liis  sword. 
The  officer  reminded  brings  it  to  a  carry. 

'' Present!''  cries  Adjutant  Fry.  The 
staff  bring  the  handles  of  their  swords  to  theii* 
chins,  and  hold  them  up  like  bowsprits. 

"u4rms/"  from  Adjutant  Fry;  and  the 
swords  drop  together  with  glittering  una- 
nimity. 

'•  Well  done,"  whispers  the  chaplain.  "  I 
congratulate  you,  gentlemen,  on  not  having 
cut  off  your  horses'  ears." 

If  it  is  a  dress  parade,  the  staff  remain 
stock-still  thenceforth  until  the  parade  is  dis- 
missed. If  it  is  a  review,  the  staff  have  the 
further  task  of  wheeling  to  the  right,  and 
following  the  colonel  in  good  order  at  a  dis- 
tance of  six  yards.  They  must  also  salute 
with  their  instruments  of  death  in  good  time 
Avith  the  colonel,  when  they  pass  the  review- 
ing officer,  all  save  the  chaplain  indeed,  who 
does  not  salute  on  review. 

When  the  staff  has  the  temerity  to  engage 


278  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

in  a  Imttal  1(311  drill,  the  opportunity  for  dis- 
sension concerning  their  iii)proprititc  position 
is  greatly  increased.  Their  chief  responsi- 
bility at  such  a  time  seems  to  bt  to  keep  out 
of  the  way  of  the  regiment.  The  i)osition  of 
the  staif  is  thirty-three  yards  in  the  rear  of 
the  regiment;  and  should  the  colonel  order 
the  regiment  "  About  face  I  "  the  staif  find 
themselves  obliged  to  get  around  on  the  other 
side  as  quickly  as  possible.  They  may  not 
get  there  simultaneously,  but  they  get  there 
consecutively,  and  usually  in  time  to  get  out 
of  the  way  of  the  next  move.  And  this  is 
the  most  important  service  they  render  on 
di'ill ;  but  if  their  services  were  relaxed  at  any 
other  time  the  regiment  would  seriously  feel 
it.  Perhaps  the  chaplain's  office  is  an  excep- 
tion. Any  relaxation  in  the  religious  services, 
which  are  held  at  least  twice  during  the  week, 
may  possibly  be  deemed  a  boon. 

I  cannot  take  further  space  to  describe 
everything  delectable,  curious,  engaging,  or 
mysterious  in  our  military  encampment. 
Regimental  concerts  are  held  every  evening. 


MR.   SHAY  HACK  AT  MUSTER.  279 

The  ai'tillcny  and  the  cavah-y  vie  with  each 
other  in  their  display  of  Chinese  lanterns  and 
other  deeoratiuns,  as  well  as  in  the  j)r()in[)t- 
iiess  with  whieh  they  move  oil'  the  iield  after 
dress  parade.  Thonsands  of  visitors  lloek  to 
the  grounds  on  Thursday,  and  on  Friday, 
when  the  Governor  comes  to  review  the 
troops,  the  interest  of  the  week  culminates. 
Mr.  Shayhaek  has  for  four  years  accompa- 
nied the  Second  Brii^ade  of  tlr.i  ^lassachusetts 
militia  to  its  annual  encampment  and  has 
hivariahly  visited  the  First  Brigade.  The 
result  has  been  to  increase  his  respect  for  the 
Massachusetts  militia.  The  old  time  muster 
days  have  passed  away,  a  new  and  higher 
order  of  discipline  is  maintained.  More  or- 
derly camps  he  has  never  seen.  The  men 
are  manly,  courteous,  and  good-natured;  the 
officers  generous  and  gentlemanly.  And  to 
Mr.  Shayhaek  it  was  a  satisfaction  to  think 
that  on  the  following  Monday  all  these  men 
and  officers  would  return  to  the  store,  the 
shop,  the  workman's  bench,  the  anvil,  the 
clerk's  desk,  the  lawyer's  office,  and  the  va- 


280  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

rious  avocations  of  civil  life,  to  devote  them- 
selves assiduously  to  the  arts  of  peace,  —  all 
the  better,  we  trust,  for  the  lessons  of  oblioa- 
tion,  courtesy,  and  practical  service  which 
they  have  received  in  the  art  of  war. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

CAMP    LIFE    IN    INDIA.  —  THE  VALLEY  OF  THE 

GODAVERY. 

OwL*s  Head,  so  often  referred  to  in  these 
pages,  looked  down  on  the  cradle  of  the 
present  writer,  and  Memphremagog  was  the 
first  lake  to  mirror  the  skies  before  her.  But 
circumstances  in  after  years  bade  her  ex- 
change the  Green  Mountains  for  the  Ghauts, 
and  the  frosty  air  of  New  England  for  the 
tropical  climate  of  India.  The  new  home 
was  on  the  table-land  of  the  Deccan  where  it 
sweeps  gradually  down  to  the  fertile  valley  of 
the  Godavery.  It  stood  on  the  banks  of  a 
small  river,  tributary  to  that  noble  stream, 
amid  acacia  and  tamarind  trees  and  half  hid- 
den with  roses  and  luxuriant  vines.  Here 
the  days  came  and  went  swift  as  a  weaver's 
shuttle,  with  little  to  break  the  monotony  of 


282  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

study.  At  last  it  was  proposed,  one  charming 
day  in  Decembei-j  that  we  should  go  out  tour- 
ing ;  for  that  was  the  name  given  to  the 
annual  custom  of  going  about  from  village  to 
village,  spending  a  few  days  in  each,  to  visit 
schools  and  oversee  the  work  of  the  native 
teachers. 

As  no  provision  for  white  visitors  is  made 
in  Hindoo  villages  it  is  always  necessary  to  go, 
like  the  snail,  provided  with  a  house.  To  the 
young  enthusiastic  girl  of  nineteen  this 
seemed,  as  it  proved,  a  delightfully  romantic 
way  of  becoming  intimately  acquainted  with 
Eastern  manners  and  customs,  and  the  love 
of  tent-life  then  enkindled  has  never  grown 
less. 

It  was  approaching  Christmas  time,  but  the 
air  was  clear  and  dry.  On  the  coldest  nights 
the  mercury  never  dropped  below  56"  Fah- 
renheit, and  at  noon  it  soared  away  among 
the  nineties.  There  was  no  fear  of  rain  or 
showers,  for  the  wet  season  was  over  and  the 
whole  country  was  clad  in  the  matchless  ver- 
dure that   the   rains  had  left  behind.     The 


CAMP  LIFE  IN  INDIA.  283 

sugar-cane  fields  looked  like  miniature  forests ; 
the  green  wheat  swayed  in  the  soft  air  ;  the 
cotton  was  bursting  its  bolls  and  the  peanut 
and  sweet-potato  vines  wove  a  close  fal)ric 
over  the  brown  earth.  Tlie  trees  were  in 
their  most  beautiful  array  and  the  wardens 
were  smiling  with  plenty.  What  wonder 
that  "  touring "  amid  such  tropical  beauty 
looked  fascinating  in  advance  ? 

The  tinkling  of  bells  on  the  bullocks'  necks 
in  the  "  compound,"  or  door-yard,  announced 
that  the  preparations  were  ahnost  complete. 
Good  Mulkoo,  the  Hindoo  cook,  had  packed 
everything  necessary  for  the  culinary  de})art- 
ment  in  a  chest  with  stronjj  handles  and  a  i>'ood 
lock.  This  chest  was  to  be  his  kitchen,  china- 
closet,  store-room,  and  sideboard  for  a  month. 
Nothing  was  forgotten  that  could  possibly  be 
needed.  There  was  first  the  folding  tripod 
wdiich  was  to  serve  as  a  cookino-  ran^e  :  a 
nest  of  copper  sauce-pans  freshly  tinned  by 
the  traveling  tinman  ;  a  "  kujah,"  or  porous 
water-jar ;  dainty  china  for  four  persons ; 
glass,   silver,    napkins,  and    table-cloths;    a 


284  THE  SIIAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

bottle  of  curry  powder,  small  packages  of 
sundry  spices  and  condiments  not  easily 
obtained  in  the  villages,  and  a  supply  of  rice 
and  sujjar.  For  fruit  and  vejjetables  we  were 
to  depend  on  the  villagers'  gardens  ;  for  milk 
on  their  buffaloes,  from  which  sweet  butter 
would  every  morning  be  made  by  churning 
in  a  leathern  bottle ;  for  flour  on  the  village 
women,  who  grind  it  daily  in  their  rude  stone 
mills  ;  for  meat  on  the  poultry-yards  of  the 
natives,  or  on  the  unerring  rifle  of  the  head 
of  the  little  camping  party. 

The  cook's  chest  was  lifted  into  the  low  two- 
wheeled  cart.  Beside  it  were  placed  a  folding 
table,  four  folding  chairs,  two  folding  bamboo 
cots,  a  folding  washstand,  a  wall  tent,  a  mar- 
quee and  a  bundle  of  matting  and  rugs. 
Another  small  chest  contained  linen,  blankets, 
and  thin  hair  pillows.  This  cart  was  intrusted 
to  a  coal-black  driver,  Avhose  scarlet  turban 
and  snowy  dress  gave  him  a  brilliant  air. 

The  next  cart  to  drive  up  was  covered  and 
upholstered,  with  the  cushions  arranged  in 
such  a  way  that  at  night,  by     little  shifting, 


CAMI*  LIFE  IN  INDIA.  285 

the  vehicle  could  be  converted  into  a  snuir 
sleeping  apartment,  which  two  of  lUe  party 
were  to  occupy.  Pockets  and  drawers  and 
various  hiding  places  furnished  receptacles 
for  books,  stationery,  toilet  articles,  and  extra 
wraps.  Both  carts  were  drawn  by  small  bul- 
locks with  a  hump  between  their  shouldeis, 
well  known  in  pictures  as  tha  ''  sacred  cattle 
of  India."  They  are  trained  to  trot,  and  they 
jog  along  from  four  to  six,  rarely  eight, 
miles  an  hour.  They  arc  driven  by  ropes 
and  a  riniif  throu<»'h  the  nos?,  as  the  natives 
decline  to  pollute  themselves  by  using  leather 
reins  on  account  of  religions  scrui)les.  Little 
"  Brownie,"  a  gentle  pony,  ambled  alongside, 
to  be  ridden  in  turn  bv  the  four  as  a  chani»o 
from  the  monotonous  jar  of  the  bullock  cart, 
the  full  Turkish  trousers  of  the  neat  taifeta 
gymnastic  suits  worn  by  the  ladies  enabling 
them  to  use  the  man's  saddle  not  onlv  with 
ease  but  enjoyment.  It  is  much  less  conspic- 
uous for  a  woman  to  ride  astride  in  India, 
after  the  fashion  of  the  Hindoo  and  ]Moham- 
niedan  women.     A  woman   on  a  side-saddle 


28G  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

would  have   been  a   seven   clays'  wonder  to 
tlieiii. 

The  native  roads  are  mere  paths  among  the 
fields,  but  the  highways  between  the  main 
villages  are  macadamized  and  kept  in  good 
repair.  As  far  as  the  eye  can  see,  the  country 
is  covered  with  gardens  and  plantations,  nn.- 
broken  by  fences  or  walls.  Rarely  a  hedge 
interposes  its  green  barrier,  but  the  usual 
dividinii'  lines  are  ridsfes  of  earth  v.ith  small 
stones  set  up  at  intervals  to  marli;  the  bound- 
aries. On  bits  of  grass  land  here  and  tliere 
she})lierds  are  Avatching  their  flocks,  and 
occasionally  we  come  to  a  bit  of  wild  land, 
as  3'et  untamed  by  the  Ik  iid  of  man,  where 
we  scare  up  a  herd  of  tiny  deer  or  a  covey 
of  birds.  In  the  gardens,  boys,  standing  on 
high  scall'olds,  are  guarding  the  growing  crops 
or  friiihteninji'  away  maraudino-  birds  with 
stones  from  a  sling.  It  is  too  early  for  tlie 
wheat  harvest,  but  the  farmers  are  beating  out 
the  (;arthen  threshing  floors  and  preparing 
the  oreat  iars  —  lar^'e  enouoh  for  Ali  I^aba's 
Forty  Thieves — v/hich  serve  as  granaries  for 


CAMP  LIFE  IN  INDIA.  287 

the  barley,  millet,  and  wheat  which  will  soon 
be  ready  for  the  sickle.  Only  when  it  is 
ready  the  people  will  pull  the  grain  all  up 
by  the  roots  instead  of  using  knife  or  sickle. 

The  first  obstacle  in  the  road  is  a  small 
river,  which  we  are  to  cross  in  a  government 
ferry-boat,  an  unwieldy  craft  of  such  propor- 
tions that  it  can  come  oidy  within  ten  feet  of 
either  shore.  We  must  drive  down  the  bank 
and  into  the  river,  and  then  up  inclined  planks 
to  the  deck,  and  down  into  the  river  on  the 
other  side  before  we  can  effect  a  landinji-. 
Many  streams  flow  through  this  part  of  the 
country  on  their  way  to  the  beautiful  Goda- 
very,  and  twice  more  we  are  compelled  to 
cross  them.  On  both  occasions  the  rivers  are 
so  high  that  the  carts  must  be  sent  round  to 
shallower  fords  while  we,  to  save  the  extra 
drive,  are  put  directly  across.  The  first  time 
we  make  the  passage  on  the  shoulders  of  two 
men,  who  lay  their  arms  about  each  other's 
necks  thus  making  a  seat  for  us,  while  with 
the  disengaged  hands  they  hold  our  feet  high 
out   of  the    surging,    roaring   torrent  which 


288  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

sweeps  up  to  their  naked  breasts  and  seems 
ready  to  engulf  us  as  we  attempt  to  crosy. 
Vainly  we  try  to  clutch  their  smooth-shaven, 
well-oiled  heads ;  their  ears  are  the  only  projec- 
tion to  which  we  can  cling.  The  next  time  we 
cross  with  less  anxiety  but  without  dry  feet. 
The  native  ferry-boats  at  this  ford  are  of  two 
kinds  ;  one,  a  sort  of  coracle,  or  tub,  made  of 
leather  stretched  over  a  bamboo  frame,  and 
which  rides  the  water  in  a  very  ticklish 
fashion  ;  the  other,  a  skeleton  of  wood  buoyed 
at  the  four  corners  by  large  empty  water  jars 
tightly  bound  to  it  by  strips  of  bark,  and  by 
a  lot  of  dry  gourds,  wrapped  in  a  net  and 
lashed  to  the  lower  part  of  the  frame.  Two 
of  us  at  a  time  take  the  rude  seat  on  this 
ruder  raft  and  are  propelled  across  the  wide 
river  by  several  men  with  gourds  tied  about 
their  necks,  and  who  half  swim  and  half  walk 
the  water,  steering  with  awkward  paddles  as 
they  push  us  safely  across. 

We  are  not  sorry  when,  before  the  day 
closes,  we  pause  in  a  beautiful  mango  grove 
where  our  tents  are  to  be  pitched.     The  mar- 


CA.UP   LIFE  IN  INDIA.  289 

quee  is  pitched  under  the  sheltering;  arm  of  a 
banyan-tree,  which  stretches  out  seventy  feet 
horizontally,  supported  at  various  points  by 
the  aerial  roots  that  it  has  sent  down  to  the 
earth  and  which,  takinj^  firm  hold,  have  grown 
to  be  tiny  trunks.  The  tree  has  scores  of 
these  little  trunks  so  that  it  is  a  a'rove  in  it- 
self. 

It  is  the  work  of  but  a  few  minutes  to  se- 
lect the  exact  site  of  the  sleeping-  tent,  roll 
away  the  small  stunes,  beat  the  ground  to  kill 
or  drive  away  snakes,  scorpions,  or  centipedes, 
burn  it  over  to  kill  smaller  pests,  sprinkle  it 
to  lay  dust  and  smoke,  and  spread  over  it  the 
mattino;  and  ruijs  on  which  we  are  to  tread, 
if  the  white  ants  do  not  devour  the  mattino- 
before  mornino-. 

The  tent  is  12  X 12,  with  high  walls,  a  fly, 
a  door,  and  two  windows.  It  is  double 
throughout,  white  without  and  crimson  within. 
Our  furniture  is  unfolded  and  sjt  in  place, 
and  in  less  time  than  it  takes  to  describe  it  a 
charming  room  is  ready  for  our  occupancy. 
The  monkeys  in  the  grove,  the  parrots  over- 


290  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

head,  and  the  innumerable  bhick  crows  above, 
below,  and  everywhere  scold  us  for  breaking- 
in  upon  their  domain,  but  what  care  we  ? 
We  sit  in  our  tent  door,  like  the  i)atriarclis  of 
old,  and  watch  our  faithful  Mulkoo  as  he  boils 
water  over  his  tripod,  sets  up  three  stones 
against  a  tree  and  kindles  a  fire,  over  which 
as  in  Si  ripture  time  he  "  seethes  a  kid  "  and 
bakes  unleavened  cakes.  From  the  neighbor- 
ing village  he  brings  delicious  buifalo's  milk, 
fresh  eggs,  mangoes,  figs,  grapes,  and  ba- 
nanas, and  in  due  time  we  have  a  supper  fit 
for  the  gods,  —  too  good  for  the  gods  of  wood 
and  stone  all  about  us. 

The  moon  rises  and  shines  down  throuo'h 
the  glossy  mango  and  banyan  leaves  and 
lights  up  the  little  group  of  servants  at  their 
simple  repast  of  bread  and  fruit,  and  here 
and  there  wakes  a  bird  to  a  single  note.  The 
air  is  intoxicating  with  the  tropical  breath  of 
night,  but  above  all  the  union  of  sweets  we 
perceive  the  refreshing  perfume  of  orange 
flowers  from  the  garden  at  our  right.  But  we 
tear  ourselves  away  from  this  enchantment, 


CAMP  LIFE  IN  INDIA.  291 

and  drawino;  tlio  mosquito  bars  over  our  door 
and  \vind()\vs  retlrij  for  our  llrst  nli»lit  uudtr 
canvas,  countln*^'  ourselves  fortunate  that  the 
tent,  rather  than  the  cart,  fell  to  our  lot. 
The  latter  affords  a  more  luxurious  bed  aiul 
is  safer  from  serpents  and  sm;dler  pests,  but  it 
shakes  dlsa«2'reeablv  in  a  wind,  and  one  is  of- 
ten  startled  out  of  a  sound  slt'ep  by  a  stray 
donkey  or  buffalo  impertinently  rubbino-  vip 


ag'auist  it. 


Morning-  dawns  as  it  never  dawns  anywhere 
but  in  tents,  fresh  and  pure  and  radiant. 
We  shake  a  seorplon  out  of  a  slij)per  where 
it  has  tented  over  nlg-lit,  barely  escape  ti-ead- 
ing  on  a  six-inch  centipede  that  is  scurrying 
over  the  mat,  and  think  no  nu)re  of  them 
than  of  a  mouse  or  a  sfpilrrel  in  a  New 
England  camp.  From  the  mud-walled  village 
we  can  hear  "the  sound  of  the  <rrlndlu<r"  as 
the  women  turn  tli;3  wearv  mills  to  ui'lnd  meal 
for  the  dally  bread,  singing  a  lov>'  v.elrd  song 
as  they  work.  The  creak  of  the  well  is  also 
in  the  air,  where  oxen  are  drawing  up,  by 
means  of  groaning  pulleys,  great  skin  buckets 


292        THE  SUA y BACKS  ix  camp. 

of  water  to  irrigate  the  f^ardeiis  and  sui»i>ly 
the  lioiiscs  in  the  N-ilhij^e.  We  luiny  out  for 
a  g-liiupse  of  the  nionilno-  and  meet  women  in 
blue  and  scarlet  and  Avhite  retmniiio-  from 
the  v.ell  with  watei-pots  upon  their  heads. 
Their  faces  are  half  hidden  bv  their  veils,  hut 
we  can  see  the  "learn  of  dark  eyes  and  the 
flash  of  ear  and  nose  rino;s,  and  hear  the 
tinkle  of  bangles  on  wrists  and  ankles. 

In  a  tamarind  orovc*  not  far  away  is  a  gray 
stone  temple,  beautifully  carved,  and  with  the 
stones  so  perfectly  laid  that  one  could  not  in- 
sert a  peidvuife  blade  between  them.  Within 
we  can  see  a  hideous  idol  and  a  stone  bull  on 
which  he  is  supposed  to  ride.  Several  early 
devotees  are  making-  offerings  of  rice  and  oil 
and  garlands  of  jessamine  flowers. 

We  wander  on  through  a  meadow  where 
bright-hued  balsams  and  day-lilies  orow  wild. 
Along  its  edge  lantanas,  ten  feet  high,  make 
natural  hedges,  and  countless  other  flowers 
are  scattered  about,  filling  the  air  with  sweet- 
ness. In  the  bed  of  an  almost  empty  brook 
we  find  tall  oleanders  in  great  profusion,  for 


CAMP  LIFE  IN  INDIA.  201^ 

they  love  to  grow  where  hichleii  waters  feed 
tlieir  roots.  We  piek  orroat  haiulfuls  of  the 
frao-rant  and  ex(|iiisite  blossoms  and  return  to 
camp  to  add  them  as  the  iinishin;;-  touch  to 
Mulkoo's  breakfast  of  curried  chicken  and 
sweet  potatoes. 

At  ten  o'clock  our  pundit,  a  high  caste 
Brahmin,  comes  to  give  us  our  dailv  lesson. 
He  is  a  handsome  man,  with  light  brown  skin, 
piercing  black  eyes,  and  well-cut  features. 
He  is  dressed  in  spotless  white  Howing  robes, 
a  snowy  turban  on  his  shapely  head.  He  is 
a  delightful  teacher  and  friend,  this  courtly 
Hindoo  gentleman,  Vishwanath.  After 
wrestling  for  some  hours  with  the  mysteries 
of  this  Eastern  tongue  we  accept  his  invita- 
tion to  visit  with  him  the  ruined  palace  of  a 
former  Hindoo  prince. 

The  old  palace  is  not  far  from  our  mango 
grove.  It  Avas  built  hundreds  of  years  ago 
of  polished  stone.  The  door  is  deep  set  in 
a  stone  archway.  Above  it  is  a  projecting 
front  of  woodwork,  so  thoroughly  carved  as 
to  present  an    unbroken  mass  of   ornament. 


294  THE  SHAY  HACKS   LX  CAMP. 

Loaves,  flowers,  fruit,  cliains,  aiul  many  fan- 
tastic forms  are  "wroinilit  out  of  the  wood  in 
the  ii'reatest  contusion  and  clustered  toiictlier 
in  an  endless  variety  of  cond)iMatIon.  Like 
all  of  the  best  Hindoo  houses  it  is  built  about 
an  open  court  with  a  fountain  in  the  centre. 
Aroiuid  this  are  galleries,  t\u)  pillars  support- 
ing Avhich  are  carved  in  the  same  elaborate 
style  as  the  entrance.  The  palace  is  fast 
falling  to  decay.  Common  people  dwell  in 
the  ele<»\int  o'allcries  and  stable  their  cattle  in 
the  spacious  marble-paved  area. 

As  we  walk  alonji'  the  narrow  streets  of  the 
village  we  notice  that  the  peo2)le  are  all  in 
gala  dress.  Even  the  horns  of  the  cattle  and 
goats  are  painted  red  and  have  tassels  tied  to 
them.  This  is  in  honor  of  a  visit  that  a  god 
from  a  j  eighboring  village  is  to  make  to  our 
idol  under  the  tamarind-tree.  The  visit  is 
made  at  night.  The  ugly  image  comes 
wrapped  in  cloth  of  gold  and  priceless  Cash- 
mere shawls,  carried  in  a  gilded  palanquin 
and  followed  by  an  immense  procession  of 
worshipers.     The  air  quivers  with  the  musical 


CAMP  LIFE  ly  INDIA.  295 

nolso  —  it  can  luinlly  be  called  music  —  of 
scores  of  native  instruniciits.  Firi'works  niori? 
beautiful  than  wc;  e\er  dreanicd  of  are  burned 
in  lionor  of  the  occasion,  and  thoui;'h  we  can- 
not share  the  people's  enthusiasm  at  the  ad- 
vent of  the  o()d,  we  vie  with  them  in  enjoy- 
ment of  the  dis})lay. 

Our  afternoons  arc  given  up  to  visitin<^  the 
schools.  The  school-house  is  a  low  buildinj;* 
open  on  one  side  to  the  weather,  with  a  hard 
beaten  earth  floor  on  which  the  little  urchins 
sit,  and  on  wl-ich  they  are  often  caught  play- 
ing jackstones  when  they  ought  to  be  learn- 
ino;  their  lessons.  There  are  no  mrls  amono* 
the  scholars.  The  boys,  entirely  naked,  or 
with  a  shirtdike  frock,  or  only  a  waistcloth, 
but  with  plenty  of  ornaments  and  streaks  of 
paint  on  their  person,  study  (doud  in  a  dron- 
ing tone.  But  they  recite  with  animation 
and  show  bright,  quick  intellects.  The 
teachers  are  native,  bnt  they  do  not  attempt 
to  carry  their  pupils  beyond  the  three  R's. 

So  our  camp  life  moves  on  without  excite- 
ment  ivAid   without   adventure.      Every   few 


296  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

(lays  we  change  our  site,  visit  new  villages, 
become  better  acquainted  with  the  simple, 
kindly  people  and  their  strange  mythology, 
and  more  interested  in  their  lanjruaofe  and 
their  education. 

We  always  strike  our  tents  early  in  the 
morning  and  often  walk  from  village  to 
village,  six  or  eight  miles,  leaving  the  carts 
to  follow.  At  one  of  the  largest  villages  by 
which  we  tented  we  were  invited  to  visit  the 
house  of  the  head-man,  or  Parted,  and  we 
were  nothing  loath  to  see  the  inside  of  a 
high-caste  Hindoo  home,  as  foreigners  are 
usually  jealously  excluded. 

The  house  stood  close  on  the  street  with  no 
more  imposing  front  than  a  high,  smooth  wall 
daubed  with  yellow  wash,  and  with  vermilion 
figures  traced  on  the  threshold.  The  door- 
way of  wood  was  handsomely  carved,  but 
otherwise  tliere  was  no  ornamentation. 

On  entering  we  found  ourselves  in  a  square 
courtyard,  in  the  centre  of  which  a  small 
fountain  was  playing  into  a  dark  stone  basin, 
on  whose  borders  a  few  plants  were  growing. 


CAMP  LIFE  JJV  INDIA.  207 

Sundry  floats  and  eliickens  wandering-  about 
the    yard    detracted    from    the    neatness  and 
beauty  of  the  phiee.     Around  the  court  stood 
the  dwelhng.     TJiere  were  eight  rooms,  four 
in    the    first    and   four    in    the  second  story. 
This  was  a  house  where  one  who  wished  to 
throw  stones  couhl  live  in  safety,  for  there  ^s'as 
no  glass  about  it,  not  even  a  single  window 
pane.     The   rooms   had  each  three  walls,  the 
fourth    side   being    open    toward    the    court. 
The  upper  story  was  guarded  by  a  light   lat- 
tice-work running  across  the  lower  part  of  the 
room,  with  curtains  above.     The  lower  rooms 
could  also  be  curtained  o(f  from  the  court. 
They  were  raised    a    step  or  two  above  the 
ground  and  the  floors  \,ere  of  beaten  earth. 

We  were  ushered  into  the  largest  apart- 
ment, a  reception-room  for  the  Parteel's 
guests.  lie  received  us  cordially,  though 
looking  hard  at  our  feet  to  see  if  we  really 
intended  to  come  in  Avitli  our  shoes  on.  Wo 
also  looked  admiringly  at  his  well-tihaped, 
.  bare,  brown  feet,  but  were  all  silent  on  this 
subject.     Here  and  there  lay   bright-colored 


298  THE  SHAYBACKS  IN  CAMP. 

Turkish  and  Indian  rugs,  wliicli  lighted  up 
the  room  wonderfully.  In  vain  did  we  cast 
our  eves  about  for  auythiniT'  else.  The  Parteel 
motioned  us  to  a  seat  on  a  rui»:  on  a  divan  that 
followed  the  wall  on  two  sides  of  the  room,  set- 
tiug  the  example  hy  deftly  folding  up  his  legs 
and  making  use  of  them  as  a  chair.  In  the 
twinkling  of  an  eye  we  had  each  dropped  in 
like  manner  upon  a  mat.  What  a  forlorn 
home  !  No  furniture,  no  pictures,  Jio  art 
treasures,  no  hooks,  worse  than  all  no  womanly 
presence  making  itself  felt  as  a  benediction. 

But  the  quick  lire  of  Hindoo  questions, 
unsurpassed  by  any  Yankee's,  left  no  time  for 
reflection.  What  might  our  names  be,  how 
old  were  we,  were  we  married,  had  we  chil- 
dren and  how  many  (always  excepting  the 
girls,  who  do  not  count  to  a  Hindoo  mind), 
and  did  we  come  in  a  ship,  and  what  was  a 
ship  like,  and  what  ke[)t  it  from  sinking,  and 
was  it  true  that  we  could  walk  on  water  in 
our  land  (ice),  etc.,  etc.,  almost  without  end, 
with  occasionally  an  exclamation  at  the  de- 
scription of  new  wonders   and   especially  at 


CAMP   LIFE  IN  INDIA.  299 

lecarning  that  we  do  not  alwa)js  do  as   our 
grandfathers  did  before  us. 

We  modestly  expressed  a  desire  to  see  his 
wife  and  chikb-en.  The  Parteel  ac(|uieseed 
and  withdrew,  not  to  api)ear  again,  fur  it 
wouhl  be  against  all  custom  for  husband  and 
wife  to  appear  together.  Soon  the  hangino- 
was  drawn  timidly  aside  and  in  slipped  several 
women  wearing  their  graceful  drapery  as 
only  Hindoo  women  can,  and  two  or  three 
little  children,  the  youngest  riding  astride  her 
mother's  hip,  after  the  usual  way  of  carrying- 
babies.  At  first  as  we  looked  at  these  timid 
women  we  saw  only  the  draped  form  and  one 
eye,  shining  at  an  uidvnown  depth  of  snow- 
white  folds.  By  and  by  the  veil  fell  lower 
and  the  whole  face  was  visible.  They  be- 
longed to  the  Parteel's  household, —  two  or 
three  were  his  wives,  tlie  others  relatives. 
After  them  came  a  group  of  women,  neigh- 
bors drawn  thither  by  the  reported  visit.  All 
seated  themselves  on  the  rugs.  Many  were 
dressed  entirely  in  white,  except  the  brilliant 
border  of  colored  silk  which  is  woven  into 


300  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

the  fabric.  The  manner  of  dress  is  ahke  for 
all.  It  consists  of  two  pieces  of  apparel,  — 
a  small,  close-fitting  jacket  next  the  skin,  low 
in  the  neck,  short  sleeved  and  open  in  front ; 
then  a  strip  of  cloth  from  eight  to  ten  yards 
long  and  abont  a  yard  wide,  which  is  wonnd 
about  the  body  several  times,  a  little  loose- 
ness being  given  by  laying  a  plait  on  one  side, 
and  the  end  brought  around  the  shoulders 
and  head  so  that  the  wearer  is  completely 
concealed,  if  she  please,  this  one  article  ser- 
ving as  skirt,  bodice,  mantle,  and  veil,  without 
the  use  of  hook,  button,  or  pin.  It  may  be 
of  any  color,  but  indigo  blue  is  the  prevailing 
tint.  The  wealthy  wear  white.  Beneath  this 
dress  the  tiny  feet  steal  out  loaded  with  silver 
toe-rings,  anklets,  [ind  jingling  chains.  The 
arms  are  covered  wdth  bangles,  the  fingers 
with  rings,  the  neck  with  necklaces  innumer- 
able, from  the  tiny  circlet  about  the  throat  to 
the  heavy  chain  that  rests  on  the  swelling 
bosom.  The  ears  are  sometimes  pierced  in 
eight  or  ten  places,  each  with  an  ornament 
thrust  through ;  the  nostrils  are  also  pierced 


CAMP  LIFE  IN  INDIA.  IIQI 

and  disfigured  with  ornaments;  the  long, 
shining  braids  have  coins  tied  here  and  there 
among  them  ;  upon  the  forehead  rests  a  semi- 
circle of  flat  ornaments,  held  in  place  hy  a 
chain,  and  in  the  centre  of  the  brow  a  bright 
spot  of  paint  indicates  that  they  are  idol  wor- 
shipers. If  married  —  as  they  probjdjly 
were  while  httle  more  than  infants  —  a  strinir 
of  tiny  black  beads  is  tied  closely  about  the 
throat.  This  corresponds  to  the  European's 
wedding  ring,  and  is  never  voluntarily  removed 
till  widowhood.  The  eyebrows  are  stained 
with  India  ink  ;  the  nails  are  dyed  scarlet  and 
the  teeth  frequently  painted  black. 

Such  was  the  dress  of  the  women  before 
us,  with  the  exception  of  one,  who,  in  a  d;irk 
garment  with  no  visible  ornament,  sat  apart  in 
a  corner.  We  asked  if  she  were  in  sorrow, 
and  were  told  that  she  was  in  deep  grief  be- 
cause she  was  childless.  "  And  that,"  added 
one  naively,  '^  is  not  only  a  sorrow,  but  a 
great  disgrace." 

Like  simple  children  they  studied  our  dress, 
shoes,  stockings,  gloves,  hats,  and  handker- 


302  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

chiefs  with  great  curiosity,  —  a  curiosity 
equal  to  our  own,  which,  however,  was  better 
repressed.  At  times  they  exchauoed  among 
themselves  glances  of  surprise  and  sometimes 
of  contempt.  Of  course  none  of  them  could 
read.  The  Parted  himself  laid  claim  to  no 
such  accomplishment.  There  is  always  a  vil- 
lage  scribe  who  can  be  called  on  to  attend  to 
matters  of  the  pen. 

Again   with    a   slight    rustle    the    curtain 
swung  aside  and  a  servant  appeared,  bearing 
a  polished  waiter  covered  with  shinino-   o-reen 
leaves,  a   little   lime,  cardamom  seeds,  cloves, 
mace,  and  broken  betel-nuts.     Refreshments 
for  the  eye  and  nose,  we  thought.     We  were 
doomed    to    be    undeceived.     While  we  won- 
dered and  watched  one  of  the  women  took  a 
leaf  in  her  hand,  placed  on  it  a  trifle  of  mace, 
a  little  lime,  a  dozen  cardamom  seeds,  and  a  bit 
of  betel-nut ;  folded  it  up  to  about  the  size 
of  a  hazel-nut,  pinned  it  with  several  cloves, 
and  placed  it  in  my  fingers. 

"What  is  it,"  I  very  innocently  asked. 
"Pan  supari,"  she  replied. 


CAMP  LIFE  I^r   LXij/A.  3Q3 

I  looked  very  wise  ])ut  eoiitliiuod  to  hold  it 
noticing,  at  the  same  time  that  my  eompanioii 
liad  been  also  treated  to  one. 

"Eat  it,"  iiro-od  my  Hindoo  hostess. 
Now    I    luive  a  horror  of  eloves  acquired 
^vhen  a  chihl  from  an  old  woman  givin,.  „,,  ,, 
suo-ar-coated  one  in  church  to  keep  me  still  • 
and  the  thought  of  three  cloves  at  once  was 
enough  to  appall  me,  to  say  nothing  of  the 
Iiitherto  untasted  lime  and  other  ingredients. 
But  knowing  something  of  Eastern  ideas  of 
hospitality,   I   feigned   to   obey   by    nibblino- 
carefully  around  one  of  the  cloves. 

"  Not  so ;  eat  it  all  and  it  will  be  sweet  to 
your  taste,"  cried  the  little  ladv,  and  speakino- 
ni  real  earnest,  for  this  is  their  most  hi<.hly 
prized  "goody."  "^ 

I  began  to  mutter  something  about  its  size 
when  a  chorus  of  voices  around  me  cried, 
"  Eat,  eat,  or  you  are  not  our  friend." 

With  a  heroic  effort  I  thrust  tlie  unwel- 
come bite  into  my  mouth  and  closed  my  lips. 
At  first  the  taste  was  not  disagreeable.  In 
another  moment  mouth  and  throat  were  eon- 


304  THE  SHAY  BACKS  IN  CAMP. 

verted  into  a  burning'  f uiniiec,  it  was  so  pun- 
ii'ent  and  hot.  The  Hindoos  from  courtesy, 
and  from  fear  of  Lreaking  caste  by  eating 
with  foreigners,  refrained  from  eating"  them- 
selves. Turning  to  my  friend,  whom  they 
had  been  "  hospitably  entreating  "  after  the 
same  fashion,  I  was  startled  to  see  her  lips 
look  as  though  bathed  in  blood. 

^'  Do  I  look  so  too  ?  "  I  exclaimed  in  horror. 
Yes,  lips,  tongue,  and  teeth  were  all  of  the 
brightest  scarlet,  and  likely  to  remain  so  for  a 
day  or  two. 

The  women  were  delighted.  They  clapped 
their  hands,  pointed  to  our  lips,  and  said, 
^'  Now  you  are  our  friends  indeed." 

That  closed  the  reception,  and  as  we  said 
adieu  we  were  each  presented  with  a  cocoanut 
fresh  picked  from  the  trees  in  the  garden. 
We  were  glad  to  shake  the  dust  of  the  village 
off  from  our  feet  and  cool  our  mouths  with 
the  delicious  fruit. 

Then  we  wandered  on  between  grain-fields 
and  gardens,  resting  now  and  then  by  a  well, 
till  we  could  see  our  tent  under  the  lovely 


CAMP  LIFE  IN  INDIA.  'S05 

tamarind  trees  that  seemed  to  be  nodding 
their  well-sliaped  boughs  in  welcome.  The 
feathery  leaves  were  fairly  dancing  in  the 
light  of  the  setting  sun,  save  those  that  the 
shadows  had  already  touched,  which  were 
folded  face  to  face  and  would  soon  be  sleeping 
like  the  birds  among:  them. 

Many  a  day  has  come  and  gone  since  that 
fair  month,  and  the  shadows  have  touched  the 
lives  of  three  of  those  who  then  camped  in  the 
valley  of  the  Godavery,   and  they  too  have 
fallen   asleep;  their   earthly  tabernacles   are 
folded  for  aye,  and  along  with  the  memory  of 
this  first   bit  of  camp  life  that  we  shared  to- 
gether come  memories  that  are  too  deep  and 
sweet  for  words. 


